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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. hand — help
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. track — a path
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pitch — completely
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. key — in music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — a song
  24. key — the most important part

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