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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. present — there
  3. object — a thing
  4. craft — boats
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mark — a grade
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. object — to protest
  11. sharp — clever
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. tear — to rip
  14. object — an aim
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. present — a gift
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. craft — a skill
  22. present — the time now
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. tear — from crying

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