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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. current — electric
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bear — the animal
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. current — happening now
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. hand — help
  14. content — happy
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — a tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cold — not warm
  21. current — of water
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hand — in cards

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