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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cold — an illness
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. press — newspapers
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cold — not warm
  13. content — the amount
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. content — happy
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ruler — a monarch

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