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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chip — for betting
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mug — to rob
  9. plane — a tool
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mug — a face
  14. chest — of your body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. content — the amount
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rash — a series
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chest — a box
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chip — to eat

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