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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: mate · fall · pit · club · content · present · kick · patient

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kick — in football
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pit — in a race
  10. content — happy
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mate — to breed
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — for golf
  18. present — a gift
  19. mate — a partner
  20. club — a group
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. content — the amount
  23. fall — the season
  24. present — there

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