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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. firm — steady
  3. mark — a grade
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. court — of a king
  6. craft — boats
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. court — of law
  11. firm — a company
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. field — for sport
  15. deal — to handle
  16. firm — decided
  17. field — farmland
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. court — for sport
  22. mark — a trace
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. march — music

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