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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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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: nail · sharp · rush · bore · ball · date · patient · net

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bore — to tire
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. net — in sport
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. date — the fruit
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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