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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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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 · current · racket · pound · content · rule · date · cell

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. content — happy
  9. date — the fruit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pound — a weight
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cell — a phone
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rule — a law
  16. current — happening now
  17. rule — government
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. content — the amount
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. current — electric
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. current — of water

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