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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: mark · wave · swing · sharp · date · lie · key · spring

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. spring — the season
  6. mark — a grade
  7. swing — in golf
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mark — a trace
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. swing — to play on
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. swing — music
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. sharp — exactly

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