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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. drill — the tool
  4. fine — all right
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spring — a coil
  8. roll — a cake
  9. fine — high quality
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. drill — army training
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spring — the season
  19. bat — the animal
  20. date — the fruit
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spring — of water
  24. roll — a list

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