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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: drill · firm · sharp · fine · rush · wake · content · field

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. sharp — clever
  3. field — farmland
  4. firm — decided
  5. fine — all right
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. field — a subject
  10. rush — hurry
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. firm — a company
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. firm — steady
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. content — happy
  19. fine — high quality
  20. drill — army training
  21. wake — a trail
  22. field — for sport
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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