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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.

Make a worksheet

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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. content — the amount
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. row — to paddle
  8. march — music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. march — the month
  14. rush — hurry
  15. content — happy
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. row — a line
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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