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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. net — in sport
  3. rock — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. content — happy
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. pit — a hole
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. staff — employees
  12. rock — a stone
  13. content — the amount
  14. ball — a great time
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. staff — a stick
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. patient — a sick person

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