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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. march — music
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cold — an illness
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. swing — music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — all right
  14. swing — to play on
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fine — high quality
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. sharp — clever

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