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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pop — to visit
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. content — happy

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