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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chair — a leader
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. saw — the tool
  10. content — the amount
  11. object — an aim
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stock — goods
  14. object — to protest
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — shares
  17. roll — a list
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. content — happy
  21. object — a thing
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. fall — the season
  24. roll — a cake

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