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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. deal — to handle
  3. content — the amount
  4. craft — a skill
  5. foot — a measure
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. craft — boats
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. content — happy
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. squash — to crush
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. chair — a leader
  24. patient — a sick person

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