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

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hand — help
  4. face — to confront
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. face — part of the head
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. content — happy
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — in cards
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. face — to point toward
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — the amount
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bore — to drill

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