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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. last — finally
  6. season — in sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. current — of water
  13. season — of the year
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. last — to go on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — final
  24. kid — to tease

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