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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lean — thin
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. content — the amount
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wind — moving air
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. content — happy
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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