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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. band — a ring
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. key — for a lock
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. key — the most important part
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. band — a music group
  14. present — there
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. key — in music
  19. club — for dancing
  20. game — a match
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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