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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 124 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pass — a permit
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rash — hasty
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. last — finally
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mine — for digging
  13. drill — army training
  14. charge — electricity
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. drill — the tool
  17. key — for a lock
  18. last — final
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. last — to go on
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rash — a series
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — an explosive

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