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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: snap · land · file · wave · can · mark · sharp · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. land — a country
  5. can — a tin
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. key — for a lock
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. land — ground
  12. file — a tool
  13. land — to come down
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mark — a grade
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. file — a document
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. can — a tin
  21. key — in music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wave — of the sea

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