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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. march — the month
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rush — hurry
  8. ground — a position
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — crushed
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cap — a hat
  20. march — music
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. march — the month
  24. rock — music

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