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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. key — the most important part
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — high quality
  7. lean — thin
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. key — for a lock
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lean — to bend
  17. key — in music
  18. mine — for digging
  19. season — in sport
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. drill — the tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fine — all right
  24. bowl — a football final

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