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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — the fish
  5. current — electric
  6. date — the fruit
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — shares
  9. current — of water
  10. mate — a partner
  11. current — happening now
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stock — goods
  16. bass — low music
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hand — help
  23. mate — to breed
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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