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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pop — music
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. march — music
  6. content — the amount
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — decided
  9. race — humankind
  10. pop — soda
  11. race — a contest
  12. sharp — clever
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. firm — steady
  15. content — happy
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. pop — to visit
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — the month
  21. race — the arms race
  22. march — the month
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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