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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mate — a friend
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. content — happy
  9. kid — child
  10. mate — a partner
  11. root — of a plant
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mate — to breed
  20. root — of a word
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. sharp — clever
  24. root — the cause

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