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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. date — the fruit
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. firm — decided
  20. rock — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — belonging to me

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