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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 124 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. mate — a friend
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a document
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mate — a partner
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. content — happy
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. content — the amount
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mate — to breed
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cabinet — ministers

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