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

Word bank: race · sharp · key · prune · nail · bear · fork · rest

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bear — the animal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — to trim
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. race — humankind
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fork — in a road
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — in music
  18. race — a contest
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rest — a break
  24. sharp — with an edge

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