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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. game — a match
  5. object — to protest
  6. bore — to drill
  7. game — wild animals
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — the amount
  16. bore — to tire
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. object — a thing
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. content — happy
  21. object — an aim
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pitcher — a jug

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