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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bear — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — the most important part
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — help
  10. band — a ring
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bear — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. ball — a great time
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ball — a dance
  19. row — a line
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. key — for a lock
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. hand — in cards

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