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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mug — a face
  4. march — the month
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. last — to go on
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rash — a series
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mug — a cup
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mug — to rob
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — the tool
  19. last — final
  20. rash — hasty
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. march — music
  24. saw — the tool

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