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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bark — to shout
  4. last — to go on
  5. key — the most important part
  6. last — final
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rock — music
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. last — finally
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. key — in music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bank — for money
  24. rock — to move gently

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