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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. net — in sport
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. key — in music
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. net — after costs
  10. snap — to click
  11. bat — the animal
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. charge — a price
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. charge — in control
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. net — for catching
  24. bat — for baseball

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