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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rest — what's left
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. season — in sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mark — a grade
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. season — of the year
  14. rest — a break
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. bass — low music

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