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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. content — happy
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bat — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. content — the amount
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fine — all right
  17. drill — army training
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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