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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.

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
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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: arm · perch · bat · lash · key · content · land · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. key — for a lock
  4. content — happy
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. land — to come down
  12. key — the most important part
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. key — in music
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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