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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — clever
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — there
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cell — a phone
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. content — happy
  24. patient — a sick person

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