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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pop — music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pop — to visit
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. saw — the tool
  13. row — a line
  14. key — for a lock
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. drill — army training
  18. wave — with your hand

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