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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pit — in a race
  3. march — the month
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bat — the animal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. march — music
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rock — music
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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