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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — the amount
  3. ground — crushed
  4. march — the month
  5. content — happy
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — a position
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ground — the earth
  15. saw — the tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. perch — the fish
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. march — music

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