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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. club — for dancing
  3. key — in music
  4. kick — in football
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. game — a match
  7. ground — a position
  8. club — for golf
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fall — the season
  15. club — a group
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fall — to drop
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ground — crushed
  23. key — the most important part
  24. ground — the earth

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