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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lean — to bend
  4. shower — rain
  5. net — in sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — for catching
  10. lean — thin
  11. net — after costs
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. suit — to fit
  16. row — a line
  17. content — the amount
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. content — happy
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. suit — clothes

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