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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. row — to paddle
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. snap — to click
  7. ball — a great time
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. tube — a container
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. tube — the underground
  13. row — a line
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ball — a dance
  18. tube — in a tire

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