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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. content — happy
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. field — a subject
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. net — after costs
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lie — to recline
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. craft — boats
  21. lean — thin
  22. content — the amount
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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