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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: ball · saw · march · deal · rule · field · pitch · present

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rule — government
  7. field — a subject
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rule — a law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. field — for sport
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — there
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. present — the time now
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. march — the month
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ball — a round shape

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