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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kid — child
  4. last — to go on
  5. charge — a price
  6. march — the month
  7. charge — in control
  8. march — music
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. date — the fruit
  13. last — final
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — finally
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kid — to tease

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