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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. content — happy
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. race — a contest
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. content — the amount
  9. rock — a stone
  10. drill — army training
  11. key — the most important part
  12. race — humankind
  13. bear — the animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rock — music
  18. key — in music
  19. hand — help
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. race — the arms race

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