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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pop — music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. march — the month
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. net — after costs
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. net — for catching
  20. pop — soda
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. net — in sport
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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