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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. key — the most important part
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. saw — the tool
  10. march — music
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mug — a face
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. march — the month
  15. mug — a cup
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. key — for a lock
  18. drill — army training
  19. sharp — clever
  20. drill — a practice
  21. march — the month
  22. key — in music
  23. mug — to rob
  24. kick — in football

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