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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.

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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. sharp — clever
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. last — to go on
  6. charge — a price
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. degree — an amount
  9. content — the amount
  10. charge — in control
  11. mate — a partner
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mate — a friend
  17. content — happy
  18. last — final
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mate — to breed
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bay — a horse colour

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