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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — of the year
  3. mug — a face
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. season — in sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pop — to visit
  10. march — the month
  11. key — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mug — a cup
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. key — the most important part
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pop — music
  20. scale — in music
  21. march — music
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pop — soda
  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