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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rush — hurry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. club — for golf
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bore — to drill
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rash — a series
  21. march — music
  22. club — a group
  23. patient — a sick person
  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