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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spring — of water
  3. vault — a safe
  4. date — the fruit
  5. spring — a coil
  6. land — to come down
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pit — in a race
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. land — ground
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. present — a gift
  14. pit — a hole
  15. land — a country
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. present — the time now
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. spring — the season
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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