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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: hide · cell · wake · rest · sharp · nail · last · key

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. key — in music
  6. last — finally
  7. cell — in biology
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. last — to go on
  14. rest — a break
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rest — what's left
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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