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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: nail · fork · can · race · wind · rule · key · cue

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. key — in music
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. race — humankind
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cue — for pool
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wind — moving air
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — government
  12. cue — a hint
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. can — a tin
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. fork — in a road
  18. key — the most important part
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rule — a law
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wind — moving air

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