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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: jam · ball · key · shower · bore · fine · nail · capital

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ball — a dance
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fine — all right
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. key — the most important part
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ball — a great time
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. key — in music

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