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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. squash — to crush
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mark — a grade
  9. squash — the sport
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. band — a music group
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. band — a ring
  16. chest — of your body
  17. content — happy
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mark — a trace
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. chest — a box
  23. content — the amount
  24. mark — to pay attention

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