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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. firm — decided
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kid — child
  7. bank — for money
  8. kid — to tease
  9. firm — steady
  10. bank — of a river
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. court — of a king
  13. bank — for money
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. last — to go on
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. court — for sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. firm — a company
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. court — of law
  22. pit — a hole
  23. date — the fruit
  24. last — finally

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