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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fork — in a road
  11. chair — a leader
  12. roll — a cake
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. roll — a list
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. key — in music
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. season — to add flavour

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