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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: content · degree · patient · board · hide · ball · bat · mug

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. content — happy
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. board — to get on
  8. ball — a great time
  9. degree — from a university
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. content — the amount
  12. ball — a dance
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. board — a committee
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. degree — an amount
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mug — a cup
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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