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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — a partner
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — certain
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. content — happy
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mate — a friend
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lie — to recline
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wound — an injury
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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