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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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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: content · sharp · bear · season · cue · prune · suit · degree

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. suit — clothes
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. season — of the year
  7. cue — a hint
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. content — the amount
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. degree — from a university
  18. suit — to fit
  19. degree — an amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bear — the animal
  23. suit — in cards
  24. season — in sport

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