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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. spell — magic
  3. march — the month
  4. pit — a hole
  5. field — a subject
  6. spell — letters
  7. field — farmland
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pit — in a race
  10. present — a gift
  11. mate — a partner
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. spell — a short time
  15. present — there
  16. hand — in cards
  17. march — music
  18. present — the time now
  19. mark — a grade
  20. march — the month
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mate — to breed
  23. field — for sport
  24. mate — a friend

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