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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: cabinet · race · patient · stock · chest · suit · date · tube

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chest — of your body
  3. suit — to fit
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — the underground
  6. race — the arms race
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. date — the fruit
  13. stock — shares
  14. tube — a container
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. chest — a box
  19. stock — goods
  20. race — humankind
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. race — a contest
  23. chest — of your body
  24. suit — clothes

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