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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: chair · mate · patient · squash · roll · wound · pit · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. squash — the sport
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — an injury
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mate — to breed
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mate — a partner
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pit — a hole
  19. roll — a list
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pit — in a race
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. squash — to crush
  24. roll — a cake

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