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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · content · bass · tube · ruler · deal · race · cap

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. tube — the underground
  3. race — a contest
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cap — a hat
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. race — the arms race
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — the amount
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. tube — a container
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. cap — of ice
  19. race — humankind
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. content — happy
  23. bass — low music
  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