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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. key — for a lock
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. ball — a great time
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. clip — to cut
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. content — happy
  13. ball — a dance
  14. deal — to handle
  15. clip — a video
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. key — in music

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