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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rush — hurry
  3. present — there
  4. mark — a grade
  5. tear — from crying
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. present — the time now
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mate — a partner
  13. craft — boats
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mate — to breed
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. tear — from crying
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. content — happy
  24. present — a gift

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