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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. content — happy
  4. staff — employees
  5. content — the amount
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. prune — to trim
  8. staff — employees
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. ground — a position
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. staff — a stick
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lean — thin
  21. ground — the earth
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wake — a trail
  24. lean — to rest against

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