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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 120 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. content — happy
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. can — a tin
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. content — the amount
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mine — for digging
  14. can — a tin
  15. chip — to eat
  16. tube — a container
  17. can — to be able to
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stock — goods
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stock — shares
  24. tube — the underground

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