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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. spell — letters
  12. march — the month
  13. pop — to visit
  14. drill — the tool
  15. board — to get on
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pop — soda
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. board — a committee
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com