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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 found your soul ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. field — for sport
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mug — a cup
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mug — to rob
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mug — a face
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mate — a friend
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — a subject
  20. bass — low music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. field — farmland
  24. prune — to trim

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