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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ball — a dance
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pop — music
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pop — soda
  19. chair — a leader
  20. march — the month
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lie — to recline
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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