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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: tube · sharp · toast · swing · net · key · hide · prune

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. key — for a lock
  3. swing — music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. net — in sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — the underground
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. prune — to trim
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — in music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. swing — in golf
  20. toast — bread
  21. sharp — clever
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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