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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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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: patient · dip · hand · sharp · ball · content · land · charge

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. hand — in cards
  3. content — happy
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. charge — electricity
  7. dip — to sink
  8. land — a country
  9. ball — a great time
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hand — help
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. content — the amount
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. sharp — clever
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. charge — in control
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. land — ground
  22. ball — a dance
  23. charge — a price
  24. patient — calm and waiting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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