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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. present — there
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — all right
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. content — happy
  10. present — the time now
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. present — a gift
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. content — the amount

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