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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chest — a box
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. plane — a tool
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. key — for a lock
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bear — the animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. key — in music
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rush — a thrill

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