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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: stand · hand · sharp · roll · key · face · jam · wind

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. key — for a lock
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. key — the most important part
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. key — in music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. roll — a cake
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. roll — a list
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. hand — help
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stand — to bear
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. sharp — clever
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. face — to point toward

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