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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. key — the most important part
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cell — in biology
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. can — a tin
  13. drill — army training
  14. key — in music
  15. hand — help
  16. drill — a practice
  17. key — for a lock
  18. hand — in cards

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