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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. rock — music
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cell — a phone
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. spell — magic
  12. lie — to recline
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. rush — hurry
  16. spell — letters
  17. content — happy
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. content — the amount
  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