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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. content — happy
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ground — crushed
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. ground — a position
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ball — a dance
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ground — the earth
  18. content — the amount
  19. craft — a skill
  20. row — a line
  21. craft — boats
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. craft — a handicraft

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