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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. cap — of ice
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. cap — a lid
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. court — of a king
  11. field — a subject
  12. march — the month
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hand — help
  16. rock — a stone
  17. hand — in cards
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rock — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cap — a hat
  23. field — farmland
  24. rock — to move gently

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