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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. march — the month
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. march — music
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. march — the month
  10. field — for sport
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bound — obliged
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bound — certain
  15. current — of water
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bound — tied together
  18. current — happening now
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. field — farmland
  21. toast — bread
  22. current — electric
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. field — a subject

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