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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. content — the amount
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. march — the month
  10. content — happy
  11. mark — a trace
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spell — a short time
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. march — music
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spell — letters
  23. march — the month
  24. sharp — exactly

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