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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. key — in music
  3. season — in sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. season — of the year
  9. face — to confront
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bound — obliged
  12. face — to point toward
  13. sharp — clever
  14. content — the amount
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. content — happy
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — part of the head

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