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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — a match
  5. content — happy
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. firm — steady
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. content — the amount
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — magic
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. firm — a company
  20. game — wild animals
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. firm — decided
  23. row — to paddle
  24. content — videos and posts

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