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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fine — all right
  5. key — for a lock
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — boats
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. scale — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chest — a box
  20. key — in music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fine — high quality

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