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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. last — finally
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. last — final
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. date — the fruit
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pass — a permit
  21. shower — to wash
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — rain

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