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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — for pool
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. drill — army training
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mine — for digging
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bound — certain
  19. key — in music
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. key — the most important part
  24. nail — for a hammer

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