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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. spring — of water
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pit — a hole
  9. march — the month
  10. board — a committee
  11. stand — to bear
  12. march — the month
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. board — to get on
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pit — in a race
  18. sharp — clever
  19. spring — the season
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. march — music

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