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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mate — a partner
  5. season — of the year
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — in sport
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bat — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fork — in a road
  17. tube — a container
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. tube — in a tire

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