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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mark — a trace
  8. court — of law
  9. mark — a grade
  10. shower — to wash
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. court — of a king
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — a hole
  19. court — for sport
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hand — help
  22. march — music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rush — hurry

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