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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. content — the amount
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rest — what's left
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rest — what's left
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. swing — music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. rest — a break
  24. cell — a phone

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