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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. season — of the year
  6. object — an aim
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. key — the most important part
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. key — for a lock
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. content — happy
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — hurry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. object — to protest
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. key — in music
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. object — a thing
  22. content — the amount
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — to add flavour

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