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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. game — a match
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. game — wild animals
  10. content — happy
  11. stock — goods
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. last — finally
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. ground — the earth
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. last — final
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. last — to go on
  24. stock — shares

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