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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. spell — magic
  3. sharp — clever
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. content — the amount
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — letters
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. tear — from crying
  14. content — happy
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. hand — in cards
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. tear — to rip
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. toast — bread
  22. spell — a short time
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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