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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. field — a subject
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. field — farmland
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. shower — rain
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. field — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — to wash
  22. snap — to click
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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