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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. sharp — clever
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fork — in a road
  6. content — the amount
  7. track — a path
  8. suit — in cards
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. prune — to trim
  12. track — to keep track
  13. content — happy
  14. perch — the fish
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. suit — clothes
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. clip — to cut
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. suit — to fit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. clip — for paper
  24. perch — for a bird

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