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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stock — shares
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stock — goods
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — in sport
  24. content — happy

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