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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. rule — a law
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wound — an injury
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — magic
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — the month
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rule — government
  23. march — music
  24. staff — employees

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