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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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468
Word bank
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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. key — in music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. key — the most important part
  9. staff — employees
  10. rest — a break
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rest — what's left
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rest — what's left
  21. capital — a city
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wound — an injury
  24. calf — a young animal

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