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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. key — the most important part
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. track — a path
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. track — a song
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a hole
  21. hand — help
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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