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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: rock · shower · rule · club · jam · date · patient · game

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. shower — to wash
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rule — a law
  7. club — for golf
  8. date — the fruit
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. shower — rain
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rock — music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rule — government
  16. club — for dancing
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. game — a match
  19. club — a group
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. game — a kind of play

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