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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — the month
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. content — the amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fine — all right
  11. march — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. march — the month
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fine — high quality

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