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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bulb — for light
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. march — the month
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cold — an illness
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bore — to drill
  17. march — the month
  18. cold — not warm
  19. suit — to fit
  20. march — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bulb — of a plant

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