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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: pit · sharp · bound · key · roll · straw · shower · fan

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. key — for a lock
  4. shower — to wash
  5. key — in music
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bound — obliged
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. shower — rain
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. roll — a cake
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. roll — a list
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. key — the most important part
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pit — in a race

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