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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · arm · ball · march · net · foot · ruler · field

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ball — a great time
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — the animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — farmland
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. field — for sport
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. net — for catching
  14. field — a subject
  15. march — music
  16. net — in sport
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. net — after costs
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. march — the month
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. foot — a measure

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