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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. drill — army training
  3. key — the most important part
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. date — the fruit
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. key — in music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — a practice
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. drill — the tool
  17. ball — a dance
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stand — to bear
  20. tear — to rip
  21. key — for a lock
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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