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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. march — music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ground — a position
  7. track — to keep track
  8. march — the month
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ball — a great time
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. season — of the year
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. track — a song
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ball — a dance
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ground — the earth
  20. season — in sport
  21. track — a path
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. march — the month

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