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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. craft — boats
  7. pit — a hole
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. content — happy
  10. band — a ring
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bank — for money
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bank — for money
  16. band — a music group
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bank — of a river
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. scale — in music
  23. content — the amount
  24. rush — hurry

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