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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. swing — music
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. land — a country
  7. content — the amount
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. content — happy
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. firm — decided
  13. swing — to play on
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. scale — in music
  16. land — ground
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bear — the animal
  19. firm — a company
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. scale — size or range
  22. firm — steady
  23. land — to come down
  24. swing — in golf

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