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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.

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: march · cabinet · court · stem · field · perch · toast · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. field — a subject
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. toast — bread
  6. court — for sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. stem — to come from
  10. perch — the fish
  11. march — music
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — for sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — of law
  20. field — farmland
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. court — of a king

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