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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bound — obliged
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. key — in music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. key — for a lock
  11. ground — the earth
  12. march — music
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. ground — a position
  18. key — the most important part
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bound — certain

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