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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kick — in football
  3. march — music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. kid — child
  6. march — the month
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. key — in music
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. kid — to tease
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. land — a country
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. march — the month
  22. key — for a lock
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bowl — a football final

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