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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cold · nail · ground · march · wave · lie · ball

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. ground — a position
  4. march — the month
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ground — the earth
  7. key — in music
  8. march — the month
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. ball — a dance
  17. march — music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. nail — for a hammer

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