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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bat — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fine — all right
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bass — low music
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. fine — high quality
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fine — a penalty

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