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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. swing — to play on
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. swing — in golf
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — the month
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. content — the amount
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. march — music
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. chip — to eat
  23. swing — music
  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