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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: sharp · content · lie · season · pop · roll · date · rush

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rush — hurry
  3. content — happy
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pop — soda
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lie — to recline
  9. roll — a cake
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. date — the fruit
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. content — the amount
  15. roll — a list
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rush — to hurry

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