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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. sharp — clever
  5. court — of law
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. court — of a king
  8. drill — army training
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. court — for sport
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rule — government
  13. content — happy
  14. prune — to trim
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rule — a law
  24. drill — the tool

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