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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. spring — of water
  3. rock — a stone
  4. key — the most important part
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cue — for pool
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cue — a hint
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rock — music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — the season
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. march — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — the month
  24. cue — a signal

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