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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. court — for sport
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. court — of a king
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. march — the month
  10. court — of law
  11. craft — a skill
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — to come from
  19. staff — a stick
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. staff — employees
  23. craft — boats
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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