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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. court — of law
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. court — of a king
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spring — the season
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. deal — to handle
  18. spring — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. court — for sport
  21. can — to be able to
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. can — a tin

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