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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fine — all right
  4. net — in sport
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. content — the amount
  9. season — of the year
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lean — to bend
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fine — high quality
  17. lean — thin
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. season — in sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. fine — a penalty

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