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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. charge — a price
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. charge — in control
  16. spring — the season
  17. content — the amount
  18. charge — electricity
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spring — a coil
  21. sharp — clever
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spring — of water

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