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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: calf · swing · march · present · mate · field · mark · bat

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. present — there
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mate — a partner
  8. swing — in golf
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — a friend
  12. present — a gift
  13. bat — the animal
  14. present — the time now
  15. march — the month
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. swing — music
  19. field — for sport
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. march — music
  22. mark — a trace
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. swing — to play on

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