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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hand — help
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. shower — rain
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wake — a trail
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bear — the animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. hand — in cards
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. key — in music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hand — part of the body

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