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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. 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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. rest — what's left
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. march — the month
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — a break
  17. fork — in a road
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. march — music
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. 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