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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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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: file · drill · ground · nail · can · key · chair · pitch

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. drill — the tool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. file — a tool
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitch — completely
  9. drill — army training
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — the most important part
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. key — for a lock
  15. file — a document
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. drill — a practice
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. key — in music
  23. ground — crushed
  24. can — a tin

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