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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.

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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: clip · drill · last · current · racket · nail · season · key

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. drill — the tool
  4. current — happening now
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — to cut
  7. last — finally
  8. current — of water
  9. key — for a lock
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. clip — a video
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. current — electric
  14. key — the most important part
  15. clip — for paper
  16. key — in music
  17. season — of the year
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. drill — a practice
  21. season — in sport
  22. last — final
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. drill — army training

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