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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. sharp — clever
  3. snap — to click
  4. file — a document
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. file — a tool
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. key — the most important part
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. key — in music
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. deal — to handle
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — a container
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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