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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rash — hasty
  4. land — ground
  5. content — the amount
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cap — a lid
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. content — happy
  18. land — to come down
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cap — of ice
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. land — a country

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