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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. staff — employees
  3. cap — a lid
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. plane — a tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. content — happy
  8. staff — employees
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. content — the amount
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. staff — a stick
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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