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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. last — to go on
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wind — moving air
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. key — the most important part
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cap — of ice
  20. drill — army training
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. jam — a tight spot

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