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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: bear · mate · patient · bat · fine · toast · clip · club

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. toast — bread
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bear — the animal
  8. club — for golf
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fine — all right
  13. club — a group
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bat — the animal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. clip — a video
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mate — a partner
  23. club — for dancing
  24. patient — a sick person

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