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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. content — happy
  4. season — of the year
  5. spring — the season
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. roll — a list
  8. craft — a skill
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. roll — a cake
  11. present — there
  12. spring — a coil
  13. season — in sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. present — a gift
  17. spring — of water
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. craft — boats
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. present — the time now
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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