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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lean — to bend
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lean — thin
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bound — obliged
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — hasty
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bound — tied together
  12. key — in music
  13. tube — a container
  14. rash — a series
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. clip — to cut
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bound — certain
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. key — for a lock
  24. sharp — with an edge

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