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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. march — the month
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. craft — a skill
  11. march — the month
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. march — music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — boats
  19. mine — for digging
  20. clip — a video
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mine — an explosive

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