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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mate — a friend
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. toast — bread
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mate — to breed
  13. content — the amount
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mate — a partner
  16. roll — a cake
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. roll — a list
  19. content — happy
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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