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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. ball — a great time
  3. march — music
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fine — all right
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rest — a break
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. field — for sport
  11. fine — high quality
  12. field — a subject
  13. spell — magic
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rest — what's left
  17. field — farmland
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. march — the month
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. spell — letters
  24. march — the month

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