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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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. fine — high quality
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. club — for golf
  7. pass — a permit
  8. game — a match
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. club — a group
  12. hand — help
  13. game — wild animals
  14. content — the amount
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — clever
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fine — all right
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. sharp — exactly

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