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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. club — for golf
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. scale — in music
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — the underground
  16. club — a group
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — to go on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. date — the fruit
  21. club — for dancing
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pit — in a race
  24. scale — size or range

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