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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. capital — money
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. track — to keep track
  10. sharp — clever
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. track — a song
  18. dip — to sink
  19. capital — a city
  20. march — music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. track — a path
  23. march — the month
  24. bat — for baseball

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