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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 116 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: game · racket · wave · pit · fan · bowl · patient · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pit — in a race
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pit — a hole
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. game — a match
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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