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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spring · cold · racket · face · can · content · safe

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. face — to confront
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. content — the amount
  5. spring — of water
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — a coil
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. face — part of the head
  12. can — to be able to
  13. face — to point toward
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cold — an illness
  16. sharp — clever
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. can — a tin
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. content — happy
  24. spring — the season

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