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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. net — in sport
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. content — the amount
  7. track — to keep track
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. track — a song
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cue — for pool
  16. track — a path
  17. cue — a hint
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cue — a signal
  24. content — happy

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