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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. game — a match
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cap — a hat
  11. key — the most important part
  12. shower — to wash
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. face — to confront
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — a practice
  17. game — wild animals
  18. drill — army training
  19. shower — rain
  20. cap — a lid
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. face — to point toward
  24. key — in music

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