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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. key — the most important part
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. track — to keep track
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. key — in music
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rash — a series
  15. sharp — clever
  16. key — for a lock
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. field — for sport
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bore — to drill

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