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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: drill · content · chair · court · suit · tear · sharp · tube

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. suit — to fit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. content — the amount
  8. tube — a container
  9. tear — to rip
  10. content — happy
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. chair — a leader
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. court — of law
  18. sharp — clever
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — the tool
  21. suit — clothes
  22. court — of a king
  23. suit — in cards
  24. drill — army training

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