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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — a container
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. sharp — clever
  6. march — music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. game — a match
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — the month

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