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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — finally
  3. bore — to tire
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — final
  9. capital — a city
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bore — to drill
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — all right
  14. last — to go on
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. capital — money
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. date — the fruit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. tear — to rip

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