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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wound — an injury
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitch — completely
  7. key — for a lock
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wound — an injury
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cold — an illness
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. key — in music
  15. drill — army training
  16. can — a tin
  17. mark — a trace
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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