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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. content — happy
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mark — a trace
  6. drill — a practice
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. suit — in cards
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. suit — clothes
  13. net — for catching
  14. content — the amount
  15. net — in sport
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. drill — army training
  23. net — after costs
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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