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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. content — happy
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. root — the cause
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — to protest
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. root — of a plant
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bulb — for light
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. root — of a word
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tube — a container
  24. lie — to recline

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