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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rush — hurry
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. season — in sport
  11. row — a line
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. season — of the year
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. firm — a company
  19. row — to paddle
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. content — happy

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