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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. drill — a practice
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. content — happy
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. pop — music
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bore — to drill
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. content — the amount
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pop — soda
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. toast — bread
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bore — to tire
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. content — videos and posts

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