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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 · field · ground · date · straw · bound · sharp · mark

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bound — tied together
  3. ground — a position
  4. field — a subject
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. content — the amount
  8. field — for sport
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bound — obliged
  11. sharp — clever
  12. content — happy
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bound — certain
  15. date — the fruit
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mark — a trace
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. field — farmland
  22. ground — crushed
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ground — the earth

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