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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. capital — money
  5. tube — the underground
  6. march — music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. hand — help
  10. rock — a stone
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rock — music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. march — the month
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. tube — a container
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stock — shares
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. stock — goods
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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