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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. capital — money
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. squash — to crush
  13. fall — to drop
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. capital — a city
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. key — in music
  24. fall — the season

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