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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 116 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. key — for a lock
  3. club — for golf
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bore — to tire
  6. key — the most important part
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. track — a path
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — to keep track
  13. club — a group
  14. lean — to bend
  15. staff — a stick
  16. club — for dancing
  17. staff — employees
  18. hand — help
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. key — in music
  22. bore — to drill
  23. track — a song
  24. staff — employees

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