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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. date — the fruit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. content — the amount
  20. spring — the season
  21. tear — from crying
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — happy
  24. tear — from crying

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