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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kid — child
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. kid — to tease
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. date — the fruit
  21. march — the month
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stand — to bear
  24. march — music

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