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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. key — in music
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fork — in a road
  10. kid — to tease
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. last — to go on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pound — a weight
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. key — the most important part
  23. kid — child
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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