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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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 — with an edge
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. key — for a lock
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fall — to drop
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. game — a match
  10. sharp — clever
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fall — to drop
  17. key — in music
  18. game — wild animals
  19. dip — to sink
  20. fall — the season
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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