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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. content — happy
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. tear — to rip
  15. content — the amount
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stand — to bear
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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