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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. net — for catching
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. stand — to bear
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. net — in sport
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — help
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. field — for sport
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. kick — in football

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