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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. band — a ring
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. game — a match
  7. band — a music group
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. present — the time now
  10. game — wild animals
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. present — there
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mark — a trace
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. mark — a grade
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. present — a gift
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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