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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: field · squash · suit · march · calf · bound · mate · racket

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mate — a friend
  3. squash — the sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. suit — clothes
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bound — certain
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bound — tied together
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. march — music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mate — a partner
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bound — obliged
  21. march — the month
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. march — the month
  24. suit — to fit

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