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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · prune · last · cold · dip · board · straw · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. key — the most important part
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. last — finally
  10. prune — to trim
  11. key — for a lock
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. last — final
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cold — not warm
  19. last — to go on
  20. dip — to sink
  21. board — a committee
  22. sharp — clever
  23. prune — to trim
  24. key — in music

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