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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: key · degree · sharp · mark · land · craft · squash · lean

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. key — the most important part
  3. sharp — clever
  4. squash — the sport
  5. craft — boats
  6. degree — temperature
  7. squash — to crush
  8. key — in music
  9. mark — a grade
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. land — a country
  12. lean — thin
  13. key — for a lock
  14. land — to come down
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lean — to bend
  22. degree — from a university
  23. land — ground
  24. degree — an amount

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