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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cap — a lid
  4. content — the amount
  5. roll — a list
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. suit — clothes
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chip — to eat
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. drill — army training
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. suit — in cards
  20. content — happy
  21. suit — to fit
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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