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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. last — to go on
  10. content — happy
  11. bear — the animal
  12. drill — army training
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. squash — to crush
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. present — there
  21. drill — the tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. present — the time now
  24. squash — the sport

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