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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rock — music
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chair — a leader
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chair — to sit on

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