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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 120 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: temple · pit · board · ball · patient · lash · last · cell

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. last — final
  5. board — a committee
  6. pit — in a race
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. board — to get on
  9. pit — a hole
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ball — a great time
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ball — a dance
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cell — a phone
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cell — in biology

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