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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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 — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cap — of ice
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. suit — clothes
  12. squash — to crush
  13. suit — to fit
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. suit — in cards
  18. track — to keep track
  19. squash — the sport
  20. track — a path
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. snap — to click
  23. track — a song
  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