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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mug — to rob
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — a short time
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. spell — letters
  8. bound — certain
  9. mug — a face
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — tied together
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — magic
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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