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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. spell — letters
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. staff — a stick
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. content — happy
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. content — the amount
  15. dip — to sink
  16. spell — a short time
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. roll — a list
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — finally
  22. roll — a cake
  23. spell — magic
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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