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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
468
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: clip · key · sharp · cold · nail · bulb · rule · arm

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rule — a law
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bulb — for light
  7. key — for a lock
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. key — in music
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rule — government
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bulb — for light
  22. clip — a video
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. sharp — exactly

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