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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rule — government
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. march — music
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rule — a law
  11. mug — to rob
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — a face
  14. content — the amount
  15. mug — a cup
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pound — a weight
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. march — the month
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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