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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 116 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. land — to come down
  3. field — for sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — to visit
  10. field — farmland
  11. land — a country
  12. pop — music
  13. vault — a safe
  14. field — a subject
  15. bass — low music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. ground — crushed
  18. land — ground
  19. march — music
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pop — soda

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