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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. roll — a cake
  4. content — happy
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cap — of ice
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. row — to paddle
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. row — a line
  15. saw — the tool
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. present — the time now
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. present — a gift
  20. content — the amount
  21. present — there
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. saw — the tool

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