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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. key — the most important part
  5. club — for golf
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. track — a song
  16. key — in music
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. club — a group
  19. track — to keep track
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. track — a path
  24. tear — from crying

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