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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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468
Word bank
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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. squash — the sport
  3. ball — a dance
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rest — a break
  14. fork — in a road
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cold — not warm
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cold — an illness
  20. key — for a lock
  21. drill — army training
  22. key — in music
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ball — a great time

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