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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. last — to go on
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. last — final
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cell — in biology
  12. content — the amount
  13. club — for golf
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. club — a group
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. club — for dancing
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — finally
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. content — happy

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