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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: mark · field · pit · march · leaves · last · bass · hand

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. field — for sport
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. last — finally
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. last — final
  9. march — the month
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. last — to go on
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bass — low music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. pit — a hole
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. march — music
  23. hand — help
  24. mark — to pay attention

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