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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. season — of the year
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. march — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — a series
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. march — the month
  12. present — the time now
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. season — in sport
  17. net — in sport
  18. present — there
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. present — a gift
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rash — hasty

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