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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: date · sharp · foot · squash · last · ball · cold · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cold — not warm
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. foot — a measure
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. cold — an illness
  16. squash — the sport
  17. ball — a great time
  18. last — finally
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. squash — to crush
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. date — the fruit

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