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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cue — for pool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. object — to protest
  7. game — a match
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. game — wild animals
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wake — a trail
  14. perch — the fish
  15. key — in music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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