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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — in sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. season — in sport
  6. date — the fruit
  7. degree — temperature
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. net — for catching
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. tear — to rip
  14. degree — an amount
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. degree — from a university
  19. tear — from crying
  20. net — after costs
  21. season — of the year
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. patient — a sick person

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