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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 116 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. current — happening now
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rash — hasty
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. march — the month
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. current — of water
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. current — electric
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. march — music
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pitch — completely
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rash — a series

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