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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. content — happy
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. key — the most important part
  5. firm — steady
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. drill — a practice
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. scale — size or range
  13. firm — decided
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rule — a law
  16. content — the amount
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rule — government
  21. drill — the tool
  22. scale — in music
  23. firm — a company
  24. ruler — a monarch

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