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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. game — a match
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. object — an aim
  9. ball — a dance
  10. content — happy
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. root — the cause
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. root — of a plant
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. root — of a word
  17. content — the amount
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. object — a thing
  23. game — wild animals
  24. ball — a great time

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