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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. content — the amount
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fall — the season
  6. suit — clothes
  7. capital — money
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. capital — a city
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. suit — to fit
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fall — to drop
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. sharp — clever
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. content — happy
  24. suit — in cards

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