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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. tube — a container
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — final
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pit — in a race
  8. tube — the underground
  9. march — the month
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. march — music
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. last — finally
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. last — to go on
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chair — a leader

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