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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mug — to rob
  8. last — to go on
  9. march — the month
  10. net — in sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — final
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ground — a position
  18. mug — a cup
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mug — a face
  21. last — finally
  22. net — after costs
  23. rush — hurry
  24. ground — the earth

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