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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — a practice
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. drill — army training
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. capital — money
  10. content — the amount
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mark — a grade
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. capital — a city
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. court — of law
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mark — a trace

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