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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. key — in music
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stock — goods
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fork — in a road
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stock — shares
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. fork — to eat with

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