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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pop — music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. key — in music
  16. object — an aim
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pop — soda
  19. object — to protest
  20. pop — to visit
  21. object — a thing
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. row — a line

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