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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. march — music
  8. mate — to breed
  9. club — a group
  10. pit — in a race
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chip — for betting
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mate — a friend
  19. club — for dancing
  20. march — the month
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. club — for golf
  23. racket — for tennis
  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