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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: march · bay · field · cell · squash · foot · file · suit

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. field — a subject
  3. file — a tool
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. file — a document
  10. march — the month
  11. field — farmland
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. field — for sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. cell — a phone
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — clothes
  22. foot — a measure
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cell — in biology

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