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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rush — hurry
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — a grade
  10. key — in music
  11. suit — in cards
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. row — a line
  15. suit — to fit
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pitch — completely
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mark — a trace
  24. row — to paddle

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