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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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Word bank
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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. spell — letters
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. key — for a lock
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. can — a tin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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