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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. key — for a lock
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to sink
  6. key — the most important part
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. plane — a tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. net — after costs
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. key — in music
  22. snap — to click
  23. content — the amount
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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