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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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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: nail · field · key · sharp · charge · pop · mine · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. object — a thing
  5. pop — to visit
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pop — music
  9. field — a subject
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. object — to protest
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. pop — soda
  15. field — for sport
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. key — in music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. key — the most important part
  20. field — farmland
  21. key — for a lock
  22. charge — in control
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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