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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rush — hurry
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mug — a face
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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