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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pop — to visit
  3. drill — the tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. pop — soda
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. roll — a cake
  8. key — in music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — final
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — for catching
  13. last — finally
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. prune — to trim
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. net — in sport
  19. pop — music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. drill — a practice
  22. net — after costs
  23. key — the most important part
  24. drill — army training

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