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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. root — the cause
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mate — a partner
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. roll — a list
  14. mate — to breed
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. roll — a cake

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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