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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. present — a gift
  3. tube — the underground
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. key — in music
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. tube — a container
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. shower — rain
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rock — music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. fine — high quality

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