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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. last — to go on
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bound — obliged
  5. content — the amount
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. last — final
  10. content — happy
  11. bound — certain
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — clever
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bound — tied together
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. last — finally
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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