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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. face — to point toward
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. date — the fruit
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bore — to tire
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mate — a partner
  14. squash — to crush
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bore — to drill
  19. face — part of the head
  20. squash — the sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. face — to confront
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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