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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. key — in music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. current — happening now
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. key — the most important part
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. march — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rest — a break

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