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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. fork — in a road
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — a box
  12. field — farmland
  13. march — the month
  14. field — a subject
  15. ground — the earth
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rest — a break
  20. field — for sport
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chest — of your body
  24. march — the month

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