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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: net · bowl · mark · rest · cabinet · field · key · sharp

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. key — for a lock
  5. field — farmland
  6. key — in music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — a subject
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. net — after costs
  16. field — for sport
  17. net — in sport
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  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