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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. last — to go on
  3. game — a match
  4. kick — in football
  5. date — the fruit
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. club — for dancing
  9. last — finally
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. row — a line
  12. club — a group
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. last — final
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. row — to paddle
  17. club — for golf
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cabinet — ministers

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