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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
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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: patient · pit · rule · leaves · game · bore · spell · date

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. spell — a short time
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. game — a match
  13. spell — letters
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rule — a law
  17. game — wild animals
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bore — to drill
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rule — government
  24. date — the fruit

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