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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. pass — a permit
  4. march — the month
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. march — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — help
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. perch — the fish
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pop — soda

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