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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. band — a ring
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. tube — the underground
  7. key — for a lock
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. object — a thing
  11. board — to get on
  12. band — a music group
  13. perch — the fish
  14. drill — a practice
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. drill — army training
  23. key — in music
  24. band — a rubber band

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