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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. toast — bread
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. season — of the year
  10. land — ground
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. sharp — clever
  14. land — to come down
  15. season — in sport
  16. fine — high quality
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fine — all right
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. face — part of the head
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — happy

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