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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. staff — employees
  3. key — in music
  4. net — for catching
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. staff — employees
  8. march — the month
  9. net — after costs
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. stand — to bear
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. march — music
  21. staff — a stick
  22. march — the month
  23. net — in sport
  24. chest — a box

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