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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · mark · mine · kick · cell · content · safe · foot

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. content — happy
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mark — a grade
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kick — in football
  13. content — the amount
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. foot — a measure
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mine — for digging
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mark — a trace

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