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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · cell · toast · field · club · bowl

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. field — for sport
  5. march — music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. club — a group
  10. field — farmland
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. march — the month
  14. club — for golf
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. march — the month
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. club — for dancing

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