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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. plane — a tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. game — a match
  18. last — final
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. last — finally
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bore — to drill

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