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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: patient · pit · date · drill · mate · temple · pop · last

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pit — in a race
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pop — to visit
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pop — music
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mate — a friend
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mate — a partner
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pop — soda
  22. last — finally
  23. mate — to breed
  24. patient — a sick person

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