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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. key — in music
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. march — the month
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bass — the fish
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cap — of ice
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cap — a hat
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bass — low music
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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