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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — the month
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chest — of your body
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. march — the month
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chest — a box
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. chest — of your body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. shower — rain
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. season — in sport

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