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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. rock — a stone
  2. sharp — clever
  3. degree — temperature
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fine — all right
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rock — music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cell — in biology
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. content — happy
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cell — a phone
  19. degree — an amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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