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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cue — a signal
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cold — not warm
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cold — an illness
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mate — a partner
  21. march — the month
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. patient — a sick person

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