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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. content — happy
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. net — after costs
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — child
  10. net — in sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kid — to tease
  14. date — the fruit
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. drill — army training
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. net — for catching
  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