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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. key — for a lock
  4. date — the fruit
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. last — final
  7. club — for dancing
  8. last — finally
  9. cell — a phone
  10. club — for golf
  11. last — to go on
  12. content — happy
  13. rush — hurry
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. content — the amount
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. key — the most important part
  19. club — a group
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cell — in biology
  23. key — in music
  24. date — on the calendar

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