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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fork — in a road
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. march — the month
  6. mug — to rob
  7. march — music
  8. court — of law
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. march — the month
  11. mug — a cup
  12. dip — to sink
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — magic
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. spell — letters
  17. court — for sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mug — a face
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — of a king

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