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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. tube — a container
  10. drill — the tool
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. firm — decided
  15. snap — to click
  16. pit — a hole
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. date — the fruit
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — in a race

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