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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: pop · file · march · wake · pitcher · bat · key · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. key — in music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pop — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. file — a line of people
  12. march — the month
  13. bat — the animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. pop — to visit
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. file — a document
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. key — the most important part
  23. pop — soda
  24. pitcher — a jug

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