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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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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: lie · swing · game · nail · bulb · snap · wind · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. snap — to click
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. key — in music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. game — a match
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wind — moving air
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. key — the most important part
  24. game — wild animals

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