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

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. cold — an illness
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cell — a phone
  16. content — happy
  17. bound — tied together
  18. content — the amount
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bound — certain

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