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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. content — happy
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. last — finally
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. last — final
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. date — the fruit

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