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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. can — a tin
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. can — a tin
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. march — the month
  11. roll — a list
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. roll — a cake
  18. land — a country
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. can — to be able to
  21. key — in music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. march — music
  24. ball — a great time

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