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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kid — child
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. row — to paddle
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kid — to tease
  11. key — the most important part
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. row — a line
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kick — in football
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. last — to go on
  20. key — in music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. last — finally
  24. kick — a thrill

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