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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. degree — temperature
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. last — finally
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. content — the amount
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. degree — from a university
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. hand — in cards
  22. content — happy
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fork — in a road

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