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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fine — all right
  9. snap — to click
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cap — a lid
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mate — to breed
  24. patient — a sick person

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