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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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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: shower · field · mark · pitcher · pop · march · bound · toast

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pop — music
  3. march — the month
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mark — a grade
  6. field — farmland
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bound — certain
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pop — soda
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. march — the month
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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