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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rock — a stone
  6. content — the amount
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spring — of water
  10. content — happy
  11. bear — the animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spring — a coil
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. key — in music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. spring — the season

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