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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. field — a subject
  2. drill — army training
  3. march — the month
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pitch — completely
  11. field — farmland
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mate — to breed
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bass — low music
  22. field — for sport
  23. march — the month
  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