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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fine — high quality
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. content — happy
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chip — to eat
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fine — all right
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chip — for betting
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cold — an illness
  24. content — the amount

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