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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. content — happy
  3. spring — the season
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stand — to bear
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pass — a permit
  22. content — the amount
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. patient — a sick person

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