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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rest — what's left
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. spell — a short time
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. toast — bread
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spell — magic
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. vault — a safe
  13. content — the amount
  14. spell — letters
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. mark — a trace
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rest — a break
  24. mark — to pay attention

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