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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.

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
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 · pound · march · row · plane · capital · bass

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. key — for a lock
  3. march — the month
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bass — low music
  6. plane — a tool
  7. capital — money
  8. key — the most important part
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bass — the fish
  16. row — a line
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — music
  20. pound — a weight
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. key — in music
  24. capital — a city

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