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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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Word bank
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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: can · bat · bark · ball · march · staff · swing · field

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. field — a subject
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. march — the month
  6. staff — employees
  7. bat — the animal
  8. swing — in golf
  9. staff — employees
  10. swing — music
  11. march — music
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. ball — a great time
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. can — a tin
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. field — farmland
  22. staff — a stick
  23. can — a tin
  24. field — for sport

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