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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 124 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fall — the season
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fine — high quality
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. content — happy
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. deal — to handle

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