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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. file — a line of people
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. content — happy
  7. sharp — clever
  8. file — a tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. date — the fruit
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. file — a document
  14. present — a gift
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. lean — thin
  17. wake — a trail
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. present — there
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — the amount
  24. lean — to bend

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