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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. key — for a lock
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. key — in music
  6. drill — a practice
  7. saw — the tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cue — a signal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. drill — army training

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