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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 124 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hand — help
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. perch — the fish
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mark — a grade
  14. net — for catching
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. net — in sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. net — after costs
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mark — a trace

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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