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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: key · bear · sharp · rule · jam · roll · content · cold

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. cold — an illness
  3. key — in music
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. content — happy
  10. roll — a list
  11. bear — the animal
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rule — government
  15. roll — a cake
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. roll — on a roll

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