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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mug — a face
  9. fork — in a road
  10. key — in music
  11. content — happy
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. key — the most important part
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. key — for a lock
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spring — the season
  22. row — a line
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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