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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 120 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. content — happy
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. content — the amount
  7. drill — army training
  8. staff — a stick
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. drill — a practice
  11. staff — employees
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. staff — employees
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — the tool
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. saw — the tool

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