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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.

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 · nail · cold · drill · straw · band · rock · pitcher

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. drill — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rock — a stone
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. drill — a practice
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cold — not warm
  14. drill — army training
  15. band — a music group
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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