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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. fork — in a road
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. key — the most important part
  4. hand — in cards
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wind — moving air
  7. key — in music
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. track — a path
  15. hand — help
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. coach — a trainer
  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