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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: mug · key · mate · nail · field · calf · hand · scale

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mate — a friend
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — in music
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — help
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mate — a partner
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — a subject
  15. scale — size or range
  16. hand — in cards
  17. field — farmland
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mug — to rob
  22. field — for sport
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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