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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: content · jam · ball · cue · wind · row · patient · face

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cue — for pool
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wind — moving air
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cue — a hint
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. content — the amount
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. face — to confront
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. face — part of the head
  19. content — happy
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. face — to point toward

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