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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. swing — to play on
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. key — in music
  7. cell — a phone
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. march — the month
  11. can — a tin
  12. march — the month
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. can — a tin
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — the most important part
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. march — music
  24. swing — music

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