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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pit — in a race
  3. march — music
  4. perch — the fish
  5. staff — employees
  6. mug — a face
  7. snap — to click
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mug — a cup
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. mug — to rob
  19. staff — employees
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rest — what's left
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. patient — a sick person

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