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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. key — the most important part
  4. ball — a great time
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. kid — to tease
  7. band — a ring
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. plane — a tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — child
  12. drill — a practice
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. drill — the tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. drill — army training
  20. band — a music group
  21. lean — to bend
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. lean — thin

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