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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: game · mate · pit · shower · plane · fine · patient · bound

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bound — tied together
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pit — a hole
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bound — certain
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bound — obliged
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a match
  21. fine — high quality
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. plane — in geometry

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