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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. key — the most important part
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. dip — to sink
  6. tear — from crying
  7. can — a tin
  8. drill — army training
  9. can — a tin
  10. craft — a skill
  11. saw — the tool
  12. drill — the tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. key — for a lock
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. key — in music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. tear — to rip
  24. can — to be able to

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