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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 is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mate — to breed
  4. drill — army training
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. date — the fruit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wake — a trail
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. stand — on your feet

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