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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — to tease
  5. content — happy
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. content — the amount
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. can — a tin
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cell — in biology
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. kid — child
  23. ball — a dance
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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