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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. face — part of the head
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. face — to point toward
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. net — in sport
  24. cell — a phone

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