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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fine — all right
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fine — high quality
  7. perch — the fish
  8. drill — the tool
  9. content — the amount
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. lean — thin
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. content — happy
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bowl — to roll

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