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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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. swing — in golf
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bark — to shout
  6. season — of the year
  7. swing — to play on
  8. season — in sport
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. swing — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. march — the month
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. march — music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lie — to recline
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. toast — bread

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