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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fork — in a road
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. march — the month
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. clip — a video
  12. march — the month
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — for paper
  17. march — music
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rest — a break

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