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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: patient · stick · bat · date · rock · suit · key · row

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. rock — music
  3. row — a line
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. suit — to fit
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. date — the fruit
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — the animal
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — a stone
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — in music
  24. suit — in cards

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