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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wound — an injury
  7. charge — a price
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cold — not warm
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cold — an illness
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rest — a break
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — in control
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bowl — a dish

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