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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
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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: toast · kick · key · spring · game · nail · bat · ball

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. spring — the season
  10. ball — a dance
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. toast — bread
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — the animal
  20. key — for a lock
  21. spring — of water
  22. key — in music
  23. kick — in football
  24. game — a match

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