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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. chair — a leader
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bank — for money
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. hand — help
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. scale — size or range
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bat — the animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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