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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: track · mug · present · march · field · hide · net · court

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. present — a gift
  3. march — the month
  4. court — for sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. net — in sport
  8. court — of law
  9. field — for sport
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. mug — a cup
  13. present — there
  14. track — a path
  15. present — the time now
  16. field — farmland
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — to rob
  19. field — a subject
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. court — of a king
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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