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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. content — happy
  6. date — the fruit
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rest — a break
  10. degree — temperature
  11. content — the amount
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rest — what's left
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — from a university
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — in sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — of the year
  24. date — on the calendar

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