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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.

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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. lean — to bend
  8. dip — to sink
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. march — the month
  12. rest — what's left
  13. content — happy
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. capital — a city
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rest — a break
  20. capital — money
  21. content — the amount
  22. lean — thin
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rest — what's left

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