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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. march — the month
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. march — music
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rush — hurry
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. track — a path
  13. kid — child
  14. track — to keep track
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kid — to tease
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. track — a song

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