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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. charge — a price
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chest — a box
  17. craft — boats
  18. charge — electricity
  19. field — for sport
  20. charge — in control
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. craft — a skill
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chest — of your body

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