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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: fan · foot · wound · pass · key · bound · sharp · wind

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bound — tied together
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bound — certain
  12. key — in music
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. foot — a measure
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wind — moving air

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