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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 124 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bass — the fish
  3. deal — to handle
  4. club — a group
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. date — the fruit
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. club — for golf
  12. wound — an injury
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ground — crushed
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bass — low music
  20. ground — a position
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ground — the earth
  24. key — in music

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