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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · chair · rash · mate · date · hide · patient · kick

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kick — in football
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chair — a leader
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pit — in a race
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rash — a series
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. date — the fruit

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