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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wake — a trail
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. mark — a trace
  8. lean — thin
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. club — a group
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fork — in a road
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. club — for golf
  15. capital — a city
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. capital — money
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. content — happy
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. lean — to bend

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