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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. field — farmland
  3. cold — not warm
  4. key — in music
  5. bore — to tire
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. field — a subject
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cold — an illness
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bore — to drill
  24. field — for sport

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