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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: swing · date · pound · fall · rest · kick · bat · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — a break
  12. swing — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fall — the season
  15. date — the fruit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pound — a weight
  19. kick — in football
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rest — what's left

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