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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: nail · rash · patient · rest · march · bowl · pit · file

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. march — music
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rest — a break
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a document
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rest — what's left
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rash — a series
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. nail — for a hammer

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