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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
468
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: ball · date · stock · rule · suit · chair · patient · wax

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stock — goods
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. suit — clothes
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stock — shares
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rule — government
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rule — a law
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. date — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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