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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · content · kick · lean · drill · object · patient · stock

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. drill — army training
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. drill — a practice
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lean — thin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stock — shares
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chair — a leader
  12. object — a thing
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lean — to bend
  18. object — an aim
  19. kick — in football
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. object — to protest
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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