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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: rest · content · cold · bound · pit · date · safe · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bound — obliged
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cold — not warm
  8. sharp — clever
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cold — an illness
  11. content — the amount
  12. bound — certain
  13. rest — what's left
  14. content — happy
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rest — a break
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pit — in a race
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rest — what's left
  24. date — on the calendar

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