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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. deal — to handle
  7. drill — army training
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. present — the time now
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mark — a trace
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. key — for a lock
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. present — there
  18. key — in music

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