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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: nail · rock · pitch · shower · spell · content · key · mine

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — happy
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rock — music
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. content — the amount
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. key — in music
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rock — a stone
  13. key — the most important part
  14. shower — to wash
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spell — magic
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. spell — letters
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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