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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: sharp · key · last · cue · fine · spring · bore · track

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. key — for a lock
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. track — to keep track
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cue — for pool
  11. last — finally
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fine — all right
  14. key — in music
  15. track — a song
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. last — final
  18. bore — to tire
  19. key — the most important part
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. track — a path
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cue — a signal
  24. spring — the season

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