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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cap — of ice
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. march — the month
  5. field — farmland
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. field — a subject
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. perch — the fish
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cap — a hat
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cap — a lid
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. march — music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — a safe

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