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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 120 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fork — in a road
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rash — a series
  15. kid — child
  16. field — a subject
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. content — happy
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kid — to tease

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