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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: key · nail · cap · ball · cold · bulb · game · fan

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ball — a great time
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cap — a lid
  9. game — a match
  10. cap — a hat
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. game — wild animals
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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