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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fine — high quality
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. content — the amount
  11. mark — a grade
  12. drill — the tool
  13. swing — music
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mark — a trace
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spell — letters
  20. swing — to play on
  21. sharp — clever
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. drill — army training

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