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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — a trace
  3. club — for dancing
  4. kick — in football
  5. mark — a grade
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. club — for golf
  11. last — to go on
  12. staff — a stick
  13. scale — size or range
  14. staff — employees
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. content — the amount
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. club — a group
  20. scale — in music
  21. staff — employees
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. sharp — clever
  24. last — final

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