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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. content — the amount
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rush — hurry
  8. present — the time now
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. clip — a video
  13. drill — army training
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. sharp — clever
  22. clip — for paper
  23. present — a gift
  24. racket — for tennis

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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