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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. sharp — clever
  3. key — for a lock
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. land — to come down
  7. drill — a practice
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. drill — the tool
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. key — in music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ball — a great time
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  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