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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. net — after costs
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lie — to recline
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. tear — to rip
  10. present — the time now
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. net — for catching
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. key — in music
  23. net — in sport
  24. sharp — clever

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