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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mine — for digging
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rest — a break
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rest — what's left
  24. game — wild animals

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