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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. race — a contest
  3. content — the amount
  4. bear — the animal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. march — music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. march — the month
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — employees
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. staff — employees
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. kick — in football
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. race — humankind
  23. staff — a stick
  24. march — the month

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