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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · key · hide · sharp · kid · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. net — in sport
  4. march — music
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. march — the month
  7. kid — child
  8. net — for catching
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. key — in music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. sharp — clever
  14. net — after costs
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock

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