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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: row · patient · net · kid · content · racket · date · fan

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. net — in sport
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. content — the amount
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. row — to paddle
  12. content — happy
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. row — a line
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. date — the fruit
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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