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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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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: snap · pass · mate · sharp · key · row · roll · pound

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. key — the most important part
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pound — a weight
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. roll — a cake
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. roll — a list
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mate — a partner
  21. key — in music
  22. mate — to breed
  23. row — to paddle
  24. key — for a lock

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