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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. content — happy
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. toast — bread
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wound — an injury
  12. content — the amount
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  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