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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. drill — a practice
  4. file — a tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. key — in music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. key — for a lock
  13. spell — a short time
  14. drill — army training
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spell — letters
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pop — soda
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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