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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mine — for digging
  6. content — happy
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bore — to tire
  13. content — the amount
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rock — music
  17. drill — a practice
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. key — in music
  24. drill — army training

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