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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pit — a hole
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rock — a stone
  6. drill — the tool
  7. spell — magic
  8. game — a match
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rock — music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rush — hurry
  13. charge — in control
  14. key — in music
  15. drill — army training
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. drill — a practice
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pit — in a race
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. spell — letters

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