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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. content — happy
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. pit — a hole
  6. drill — a practice
  7. hand — in cards
  8. firm — a company
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. content — the amount
  11. pit — in a race
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. firm — decided
  18. drill — the tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. drill — army training
  21. firm — steady
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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