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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. march — music
  4. mug — a cup
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. march — the month
  8. tube — the underground
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mug — to rob
  13. net — in sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mug — a face
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. net — after costs
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. net — for catching
  22. bat — the animal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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