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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. swing — in golf
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. staff — employees
  7. date — the fruit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — a stick
  11. swing — music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. swing — to play on
  17. staff — employees
  18. hide — to keep secret

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