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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bass — the fish
  3. track — a song
  4. content — happy
  5. track — to keep track
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. content — the amount
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. track — a path
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bass — low music
  13. staff — employees
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. shower — rain
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bowl — to roll

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