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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. band — a ring
  4. chip — to eat
  5. sharp — clever
  6. content — happy
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rush — hurry
  18. chip — for betting
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. content — the amount
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. band — a music group

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