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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: temple · patient · date · bore · chair · can · pop · game

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pop — music
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. can — a tin
  7. chair — a leader
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. date — the fruit
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bore — to tire
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. game — wild animals
  17. can — a tin
  18. pop — soda
  19. bore — to drill
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pop — to visit
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. temple — a place of worship

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