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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · rest · bat · key · swing · nail · cold · can

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. swing — to play on
  3. key — in music
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. rock — a stone
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. can — to be able to
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rock — music
  21. swing — music
  22. rest — a break
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. nail — for a hammer

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