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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bound — obliged
  6. drill — army training
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bass — low music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. drill — the tool
  18. capital — a city
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bat — the animal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. bass — the instrument

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