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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hand — help
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. season — of the year
  7. spell — magic
  8. snap — to click
  9. mark — a trace
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. key — the most important part
  14. hand — in cards
  15. spell — letters
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mark — a grade
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spell — a short time
  22. season — in sport
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mark — to pay attention

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