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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: fine · pitcher · chair · mug · patient · rule · date · wound

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. mug — a face
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. rule — a law
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rule — government
  20. mug — a cup
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mug — to rob

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