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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rest — a break
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. content — the amount
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. saw — the tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. deal — to handle
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rest — what's left
  24. saw — the tool

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