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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. object — to protest
  3. rash — a series
  4. fine — all right
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — hasty
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — the month
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. march — the month
  15. object — a thing
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — music
  22. object — an aim
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mark — a trace

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