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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. temple — a place of worship
  3. last — to go on
  4. can — a tin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. can — a tin
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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