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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pit — in a race
  5. sharp — clever
  6. snap — to click
  7. rock — music
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — the amount
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rock — a stone
  13. content — happy
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. last — finally
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — to go on
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — a hole
  22. last — final
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rock — to move gently

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