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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — a container
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tube — the underground
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. row — to paddle
  9. march — music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rush — hurry
  23. march — the month
  24. dip — to sink

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