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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
468
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: file · ball · date · toast · patient · pitcher · snap · squash

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. ball — a dance
  6. squash — the sport
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. toast — bread
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. squash — to crush
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. snap — to click
  18. date — the fruit
  19. ball — a great time
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. file — a tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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