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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 116 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: key · net · snap · current · sharp · prune · chair · craft

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. net — after costs
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. current — electric
  11. craft — boats
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. net — for catching
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — in sport
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. snap — to click
  20. key — in music
  21. chair — a leader
  22. sharp — clever
  23. craft — a skill
  24. chair — to sit on

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