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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. file — a tool
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. ball — a great time
  9. file — a line of people
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. swing — music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. key — for a lock
  17. swing — to play on
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. swing — in golf
  20. key — the most important part
  21. file — a document
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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