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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. object — a thing
  10. bear — the animal
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. file — a line of people
  13. object — to protest
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. object — an aim
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. foot — a measure
  20. march — music
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. rest — what's left

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