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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: cold · current · ruler · content · patient · kick · ball · mark

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. current — happening now
  5. content — happy
  6. ball — a great time
  7. content — the amount
  8. cold — not warm
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — in football
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. current — electric
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. current — of water
  24. mark — to pay attention

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