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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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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: row · fall · roll · content · pit · ruler · patient · hand

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pit — in a race
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. row — a line
  6. roll — a cake
  7. content — the amount
  8. fall — the season
  9. hand — in cards
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. hand — help
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fall — to drop
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. content — happy
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pit — a hole
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fall — to drop

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