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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 116 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: ball · saw · nail · kid · rule · key · pass · wind

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. kid — to tease
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ball — a dance
  9. key — in music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rule — a law
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — child
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ball — a great time
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pass — a permit
  24. nail — on a finger

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