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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · content · mate · can · court · drill

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. drill — army training
  3. can — a tin
  4. sharp — clever
  5. court — of law
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mate — to breed
  8. court — for sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mate — a partner
  12. can — to be able to
  13. court — of a king
  14. drill — the tool
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. content — happy
  17. mate — a friend
  18. content — the amount

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