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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. net — for catching
  4. ball — a dance
  5. perch — the fish
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. march — music
  8. pass — a permit
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ball — a great time
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. field — a subject
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. net — in sport
  21. field — for sport
  22. march — the month
  23. field — farmland
  24. net — after costs

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