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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. last — final
  4. content — the amount
  5. mark — a trace
  6. scale — in music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. key — the most important part
  11. content — happy
  12. key — in music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. last — finally
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. last — to go on
  19. ball — a dance
  20. scale — size or range
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. key — for a lock
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. snap — to click

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