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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — certain
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cue — a signal
  7. march — music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. field — farmland
  10. kick — in football
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. scale — size or range
  13. field — a subject
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. bound — obliged
  17. scale — in music
  18. bound — tied together
  19. march — the month
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. field — for sport

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