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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. land — ground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. date — the fruit
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. land — to come down
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. ball — a dance
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a great time
  13. snap — to click
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — a hat
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. land — a country

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