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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. ball — a great time
  3. file — a line of people
  4. key — in music
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. ball — a dance
  8. key — the most important part
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. last — to go on
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rash — hasty
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. file — a document
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rash — a series
  23. file — a tool
  24. calf — a young animal

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