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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rest — a break
  5. last — to go on
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rest — what's left
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mine — for digging
  13. last — final
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bowl — a dish

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