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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 120 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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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: hand · nail · fork · arm · race · mark · snap · key

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. snap — to click
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fork — in a road
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. race — a contest
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — help
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. race — humankind
  24. key — for a lock

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