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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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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: cold · key · foot · trunk · last · safe · sharp · fall

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fall — to drop
  8. last — finally
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fall — the season
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. last — to go on
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. sharp — clever
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. last — final
  23. foot — a measure
  24. cold — not warm

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