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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. roll — a cake
  3. key — in music
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spring — the season
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. squash — to crush
  14. key — the most important part
  15. roll — a list
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. drill — a practice
  20. squash — the sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spring — of water

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