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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. net — for catching
  3. last — to go on
  4. fine — high quality
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. content — the amount
  8. tube — a container
  9. net — in sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. last — final
  12. fine — all right
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. content — happy
  15. tube — the underground
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. last — finally
  19. net — after costs
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. vault — a safe
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. tube — in a tire

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