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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. present — the time now
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cell — in biology
  8. march — the month
  9. present — there
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. perch — the fish
  13. game — a match
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. game — wild animals
  16. present — a gift
  17. bore — to drill
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. march — music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. perch — for a bird

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