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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. present — there
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. can — to be able to
  6. march — music
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bear — the animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bear — the animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — a gift
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — the time now
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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