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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 · kick · cold · key · squash · mark · present · wake

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. cold — not warm
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mark — a grade
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kick — in football
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. present — a gift
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. key — in music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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