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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. field — a subject
  3. craft — a skill
  4. field — for sport
  5. clip — a video
  6. track — to keep track
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. craft — boats
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chair — a leader
  15. field — farmland
  16. cap — a hat
  17. clip — to cut
  18. track — a song
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. track — a path
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cap — a lid

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