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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: game · field · march · scale · fine · pass · saw · toast

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. march — music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. march — the month
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. field — for sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. field — a subject
  11. game — a match
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. field — farmland
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. fine — all right
  17. scale — in music
  18. fine — high quality
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. toast — bread
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pass — a permit
  23. march — the month
  24. toast — the most admired

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