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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bulb — for light
  4. ball — a great time
  5. land — ground
  6. cue — for pool
  7. scale — size or range
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cue — a signal
  15. capital — a city
  16. scale — in music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. ball — a dance
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cue — a hint

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