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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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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: sharp · bound · race · dip · key · mate · lean · wound

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mate — to breed
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lean — to bend
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mate — a friend
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. key — in music
  14. race — humankind
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. dip — to sink
  17. race — a contest
  18. bound — tied together
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bound — certain
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lean — thin
  24. sharp — clever

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