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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lie — to recline
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. sharp — clever
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. saw — the tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bulb — for light
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. content — happy

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