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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. season — of the year
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. key — for a lock
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hand — help
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cue — a signal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hand — in cards
  16. date — the fruit
  17. key — in music
  18. shower — rain
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. season — in sport
  24. cue — a hint

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