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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. game — wild animals
  3. content — happy
  4. staff — employees
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. staff — employees
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. sharp — clever
  13. row — a line
  14. game — a match
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rock — a stone
  17. deal — to handle
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rock — music
  20. content — the amount
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. staff — a stick

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