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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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kid — child
  5. key — in music
  6. file — a tool
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bank — for money
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. file — a document
  21. bank — for money
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bank — of a river

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