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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — happy
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. club — for dancing
  7. rush — hurry
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. club — for golf
  10. content — the amount
  11. vault — a safe
  12. club — a group
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mine — for digging

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