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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. key — in music
  4. drill — a practice
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. drill — the tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spring — the season
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pit — a hole
  11. dip — to sink
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. current — electric
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. drill — army training
  19. bark — to shout
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pit — in a race
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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