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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 · pass · content · temple · saw · bass · fine · rule

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rule — government
  4. fine — high quality
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rule — a law
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bass — the fish
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. content — the amount
  23. bass — low music
  24. pass — to spend time

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