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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. last — final
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — finally
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. ball — a great time
  15. content — happy
  16. ball — a dance
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. last — to go on
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. patient — a sick person
  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