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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
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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: patient · rest · clip · roll · bay · march · sharp · rock

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rest — what's left
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rock — music
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rest — a break
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. march — music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rest — what's left

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