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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. net — for catching
  3. mark — a grade
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. net — after costs
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kid — child
  17. pass — a permit
  18. sharp — clever
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. content — happy
  21. mark — a trace
  22. net — in sport
  23. content — the amount
  24. pass — to spend time

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