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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stem — to come from
  4. saw — the tool
  5. key — in music
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. key — the most important part
  8. kid — child
  9. last — final
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. key — for a lock
  12. deal — to handle
  13. last — finally
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. last — to go on
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cue — a signal

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