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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. present — there
  3. march — music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — a subject
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. present — a gift
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. scale — in music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — the month
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fall — the season
  20. present — the time now
  21. march — the month
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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