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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. key — for a lock
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. suit — clothes
  7. sharp — clever
  8. drill — the tool
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. key — in music
  13. drill — a practice
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pop — music
  16. land — ground
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. pop — soda

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