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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. content — the amount
  6. stand — to bear
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. present — the time now
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. present — a gift
  12. tear — to rip
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. present — there
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. can — to be able to
  19. mug — to rob
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. key — in music
  23. content — happy
  24. tear — from crying

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