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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: pit · lash · present · patient · court · kid · mate · club

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. present — a gift
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mate — to breed
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. court — of law
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. present — there
  12. kid — to tease
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kid — child
  15. club — for golf
  16. pit — a hole
  17. court — of a king
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. court — for sport
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. present — the time now
  24. club — a group

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