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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. content — the amount
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. object — a thing
  11. foot — a measure
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. object — an aim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. object — to protest
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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