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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. ground — the earth
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. content — happy
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. content — the amount
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. ground — a position
  22. prune — to trim
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. prune — to trim

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