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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. track — a path
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. track — to keep track
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. march — the month
  16. track — a song
  17. kick — in football
  18. toast — bread
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. cold — not warm
  23. date — the fruit
  24. capital — money

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