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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: toast · patient · chair · squash · date · present · object · mouse

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. squash — the sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. present — there
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. date — the fruit
  13. present — a gift
  14. object — to protest
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. squash — to crush
  17. toast — bread
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. present — the time now
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — the vegetable

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