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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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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: march · cap · mark · game · lean · bass · row · patient

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. march — the month
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. march — music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bass — low music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — a match
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. march — the month
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mark — a trace
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lean — thin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cap — of ice
  24. row — a line

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