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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. staff — employees
  3. content — happy
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. staff — employees
  6. tube — a container
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. last — finally
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. last — to go on
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. staff — a stick
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. last — final
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. hand — help
  24. content — the amount

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