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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. roll — a cake
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — the animal
  10. march — the month
  11. net — in sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bear — the animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. rule — government
  19. roll — a list
  20. rule — a law
  21. key — in music
  22. net — for catching
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. key — the most important part

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