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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. net — for catching
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. drill — army training
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. charge — in control
  13. drill — the tool
  14. key — in music
  15. net — after costs
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. net — in sport
  20. rule — a law
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. charge — a price
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rule — government

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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