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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: stick · date · bat · rest · wound · pit · lie · patient

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rest — a break
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lie — to recline
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pit — in a race

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