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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. court — of a king
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. drill — army training
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. content — the amount
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. drill — a practice
  19. court — of law
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. court — for sport

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