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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: dip · kid · patient · chip · temple · mate · staff · season

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — to breed
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chip — for betting
  7. staff — a stick
  8. dip — to sink
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. season — in sport
  13. mate — a friend
  14. kid — child
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. season — of the year
  17. staff — employees
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chip — to eat
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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