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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fine — all right
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — clever
  13. roll — a list
  14. mate — a partner
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — for a lock
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. key — in music
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. roll — a cake
  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