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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.

Make a worksheet

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 lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. file — a line of people
  14. net — in sport
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. file — a document
  20. bat — the animal
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wave — of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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