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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. hand — help
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. race — humankind
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. race — the arms race
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pitch — completely
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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