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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. drill — army training
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. game — a match
  13. mark — a trace
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mark — a grade
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. game — wild animals

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