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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
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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: cabinet · cue · content · patient · pit · hand · date · ground

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cue — a hint
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — a position
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — help
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pit — a hole
  19. ground — crushed
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — the earth
  23. date — the fruit
  24. content — happy

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