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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. drill — army training
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — from crying
  6. drill — a practice
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — the tool
  9. content — the amount
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. content — happy
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — bread
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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