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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.

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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lie — to recline
  3. march — the month
  4. pass — a permit
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cold — not warm
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. content — the amount
  15. march — music
  16. content — happy
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. cold — an illness
  24. content — videos and posts

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