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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — clever
  11. current — of water
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. current — happening now
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. key — in music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. key — for a lock
  24. current — electric

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