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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 · rush · dip · patient · club · ground · game · date

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. date — the fruit
  3. club — for dancing
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. row — a line
  10. club — a group
  11. ground — a position
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. game — wild animals
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. club — for golf
  18. rush — hurry
  19. dip — to sink
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ground — crushed
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. row — to paddle

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