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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. key — in music
  5. club — for golf
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. club — for dancing
  9. sharp — clever
  10. roll — a cake
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mark — a grade
  15. content — the amount
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mark — a trace
  19. club — a group
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. roll — a list
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. sharp — with an edge

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