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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — army training
  4. bark — to shout
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pass — a permit
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fall — the season
  14. bulb — for light
  15. key — the most important part
  16. hand — help
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. drill — a practice
  19. key — in music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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