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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 · sharp · wound · tube · content · toast · club · fan

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. club — a group
  5. toast — bread
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. sharp — clever
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. content — the amount
  12. object — to protest
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. tube — the underground
  16. content — happy
  17. wound — an injury
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. club — for golf
  21. tube — a container
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. tube — in a tire

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