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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. last — final
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. drill — a practice
  7. net — after costs
  8. key — for a lock
  9. net — for catching
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. key — in music
  12. drill — army training
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — in sport
  18. drill — the tool
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. last — finally
  21. stock — goods
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — hurry
  24. key — the most important part

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