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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mate — a partner
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bank — of a river
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bank — for money
  10. key — in music
  11. track — to keep track
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mate — to breed
  14. track — a song
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. shower — rain
  18. drill — army training
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a path
  22. bank — for money
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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