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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. last — to go on
  3. lie — to recline
  4. content — happy
  5. file — a document
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. last — finally
  8. fine — high quality
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a tool
  16. roll — a list
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fine — all right
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. file — a line of people
  22. content — the amount
  23. roll — a cake
  24. last — final

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