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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — final
  5. spell — letters
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spell — a short time
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fine — all right
  12. content — the amount
  13. spell — magic
  14. court — of law
  15. perch — the fish
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. court — for sport
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. last — to go on

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