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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. drill — army training
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a ring
  5. dip — to sink
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. field — for sport
  8. drill — a practice
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. field — a subject
  11. plane — a tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. key — the most important part
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bore — to drill
  17. kick — in football
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. band — a music group
  22. field — farmland
  23. key — in music
  24. drill — the tool

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