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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitch — completely
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. key — in music
  18. bore — to drill
  19. foot — a measure
  20. fall — to drop
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fall — the season
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. game — a kind of play

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