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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. march — the month
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cold — not warm
  7. march — music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. toast — bread
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kick — in football
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bass — low music
  23. march — the month
  24. patient — a sick person

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