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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. shower — rain
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. can — a tin
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ground — crushed
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. can — to be able to
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. shower — to wash
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month

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