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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bass — low music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cold — an illness
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cold — not warm
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bass — the fish

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