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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. content — the amount
  3. race — the arms race
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. race — a contest
  8. drill — a practice
  9. tube — a container
  10. chair — a leader
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. race — humankind
  19. content — happy
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. content — videos and posts

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