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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · wake · rash · march · mouse · chip · bound

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — obliged
  3. field — for sport
  4. march — music
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. march — the month
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mug — a face
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bound — certain
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rash — a series

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