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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. key — the most important part
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kid — to tease
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kid — child
  10. sharp — clever
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. key — for a lock
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. band — a ring
  16. key — in music
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. hand — help
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. saw — the tool
  23. dip — to sink
  24. sharp — with an edge

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