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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. content — the amount
  3. net — in sport
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. firm — decided
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. firm — a company
  14. tear — to rip
  15. net — after costs
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. sharp — clever
  19. net — for catching
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. firm — steady
  24. content — happy

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