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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. date — the fruit
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. game — wild animals
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rash — hasty
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. game — a match
  12. rash — a series
  13. fork — in a road
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. staff — a stick
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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