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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 116 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: season · march · club · cabinet · patient · ball · kid · bore

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. club — for dancing
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. club — a group
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — child
  12. march — the month
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kid — to tease
  17. march — music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. club — for golf
  23. march — the month
  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