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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mark — a trace
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stock — shares
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. content — happy
  15. season — in sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. season — of the year
  19. mark — a grade
  20. stock — goods
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. squash — to crush

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