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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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. content — happy
  4. drill — a practice
  5. key — in music
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. root — of a word
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. spell — letters
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. root — the cause
  14. spell — magic
  15. content — the amount
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fork — in a road
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — a short time
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. tear — to rip

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