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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mate — a partner
  4. can — a tin
  5. board — to get on
  6. march — the month
  7. can — to be able to
  8. march — music
  9. pitch — completely
  10. board — a committee
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. land — ground
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — before a funeral

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