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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — a series
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rash — hasty
  6. drill — a practice
  7. key — the most important part
  8. saw — the tool
  9. key — in music
  10. track — a song
  11. drill — army training
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. content — the amount
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. drill — the tool
  20. content — happy
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. track — a path
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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