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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mark — a trace
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mark — a grade
  5. game — a match
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. drill — the tool
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. drill — army training
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. land — to come down
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play

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