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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. stand — for spectators
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. march — the month
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ground — the earth
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. net — after costs
  12. ground — crushed
  13. field — for sport
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cap — a lid
  18. march — the month
  19. ground — a position
  20. hand — help
  21. field — a subject
  22. hand — in cards
  23. field — farmland
  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