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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bass — low music
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — a series
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bound — obliged
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bass — the fish
  16. can — a tin
  17. march — the month
  18. court — for sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. court — of law
  23. can — a tin
  24. court — of a king

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