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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. hand — in cards
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. ground — crushed
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. key — for a lock
  10. swing — in golf
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. toast — bread
  13. key — in music
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. swing — music
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. file — a tool
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hand — help

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