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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. ground — a position
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pop — to visit
  5. present — there
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pop — soda
  8. ground — crushed
  9. content — happy
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. content — the amount
  15. pop — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ground — the earth
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. prune — to trim
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. suit — clothes

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