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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pit — a hole
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. march — music
  8. bank — of a river
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spring — of water
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spring — the season
  13. march — the month
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. march — the month
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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