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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — ground
  4. current — of water
  5. key — the most important part
  6. land — a country
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. key — in music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. land — to come down
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. current — happening now
  18. roll — a list
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. date — the fruit
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wake — a trail

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