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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. content — happy
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mark — a trace
  11. clip — a video
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. clip — to cut
  19. saw — the tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mark — a grade
  23. content — the amount
  24. clip — for paper

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