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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bear — the animal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bear — the animal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — a match
  8. date — the fruit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. key — in music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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