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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. fine — high quality
  4. court — of law
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. content — the amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. content — happy
  11. court — for sport
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — of a king
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fine — all right
  17. fork — in a road
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. hand — help
  23. stem — of a plant
  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