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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. file — a tool
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — in sport
  7. mate — to breed
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. file — a document
  10. date — the fruit
  11. season — of the year
  12. club — a group
  13. file — a line of people
  14. degree — an amount
  15. club — for dancing
  16. degree — temperature
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mate — a partner
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. club — for golf
  23. mate — a friend
  24. hide — to keep secret

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