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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. club — for golf
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cold — an illness
  6. key — for a lock
  7. tube — a container
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — the most important part
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. club — a group
  13. rash — a series
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. key — in music
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cold — not warm
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pitcher — a jug

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