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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · bat · last · lean · deal · cap · patient · march

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. march — the month
  3. bat — the animal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lean — thin
  6. cap — a hat
  7. last — final
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. deal — to handle
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lean — to bend
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cap — of ice
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. last — finally
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. march — music
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  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