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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.

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: content · sharp · fine · cold · pitch · stick · mark · spring

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fine — all right
  6. spring — of water
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mark — a grade
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. spring — the season
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. content — the amount
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitch — completely
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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