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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. rash — a series
  3. rest — what's left
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — a break
  11. sharp — clever
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. date — the fruit
  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