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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pop — music
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pop — soda
  9. cold — an illness
  10. race — the arms race
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. race — a contest
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. roll — a list
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. race — humankind

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