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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: drill · cabinet · sharp · snap · track · content · roll · key

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. key — for a lock
  3. snap — to click
  4. roll — a list
  5. key — the most important part
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. track — a song
  11. roll — a cake
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. track — to keep track
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. drill — the tool
  20. key — in music
  21. drill — army training
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. track — a path

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