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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: content · fall · wake · patient · drill · key · chip · degree

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chip — for betting
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fall — to drop
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. content — happy
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. drill — army training
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fall — to drop
  17. degree — temperature
  18. content — the amount
  19. chip — to eat
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. degree — from a university

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