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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wake — a trail
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. season — of the year
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. content — happy
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. date — the fruit
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. content — the amount
  24. date — on the calendar

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