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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. content — happy
  11. fine — high quality
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. content — the amount
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. arm — a part of something

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