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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. content — the amount
  3. mine — for digging
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. root — of a word
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tube — the underground
  9. root — the cause
  10. present — a gift
  11. staff — employees
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. tube — a container
  16. fine — all right
  17. content — happy
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. root — of a plant
  24. fine — high quality

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