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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — low music
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bass — the fish
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. season — to add flavour

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