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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. drill — a practice
  3. deal — to handle
  4. root — of a plant
  5. drill — the tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. root — of a word
  11. fine — high quality
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. club — a group
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. club — for dancing
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. root — the cause
  19. last — final
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. drill — army training
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. club — for golf
  24. wax — to grow

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