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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 one o'clock ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stand — to bear
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. prune — to trim
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. content — happy
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. content — the amount
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mark — a trace
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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