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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. key — for a lock
  3. file — a tool
  4. charge — in control
  5. field — farmland
  6. pit — a hole
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ground — crushed
  9. file — a line of people
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. charge — electricity
  13. field — for sport
  14. charge — a price
  15. ground — the earth
  16. field — a subject
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. file — a document
  22. ground — a position
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. sharp — exactly

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