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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: mug · field · last · club · craft · cap · rush · march

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cap — a hat
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cap — a lid
  5. march — the month
  6. club — for dancing
  7. field — a subject
  8. mug — a face
  9. last — final
  10. club — for golf
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rush — hurry
  14. club — a group
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. march — music
  17. last — finally
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. last — to go on
  22. craft — boats
  23. field — for sport
  24. march — the month

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