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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chip — for betting
  3. season — of the year
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. content — the amount
  6. roll — a list
  7. chip — to eat
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. content — happy
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. season — in sport
  21. key — in music
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ruler — for measuring

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