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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: object · jam · fan · rash · sharp · wake · hand · content

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. content — happy
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. object — a thing
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rash — a series
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. sharp — clever
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. content — the amount
  20. object — an aim
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wake — a trail
  24. jam — a tight spot

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