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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — from a university
  3. key — in music
  4. pass — a permit
  5. drill — a practice
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. land — ground
  9. degree — temperature
  10. land — a country
  11. drill — the tool
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. land — to come down
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. tube — a container
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. tube — the underground

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