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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. key — the most important part
  7. current — electric
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kid — to tease
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. key — for a lock
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — child
  14. mate — a friend
  15. key — in music
  16. mate — to breed
  17. drill — army training
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. current — happening now
  20. mate — a partner
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. current — of water
  23. spring — of water
  24. drill — a practice

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