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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. key — in music
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chip — to eat
  6. key — the most important part
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spell — a short time
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. chip — for betting
  15. saw — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. plane — a tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spell — letters
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. spell — magic
  24. cold — an illness

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