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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: rest · pit · chair · can · kid · patient · mate · lash

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pit — a hole
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rest — a break
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pit — in a race
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mate — to breed
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. kid — child
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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