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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. last — final
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to click
  14. last — finally
  15. key — for a lock
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wound — an injury
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. last — to go on
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. staff — employees

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