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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bank — for money
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rash — a series
  6. staff — a stick
  7. key — the most important part
  8. drill — army training
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. drill — the tool
  15. key — for a lock
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bank — for money
  22. key — in music
  23. row — a line
  24. staff — employees

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