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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. staff — employees
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. court — of law
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. last — to go on
  8. sharp — clever
  9. staff — employees
  10. court — of a king
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pop — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. court — for sport
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. last — finally
  22. staff — a stick
  23. content — happy
  24. last — final

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