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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. firm — steady
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. firm — decided
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ball — a great time
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. tear — to rip
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. field — farmland
  20. ball — a dance
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. firm — a company

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