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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. key — in music
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. file — a tool
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. game — wild animals
  9. drill — army training
  10. toast — bread
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. key — for a lock
  16. chair — a leader
  17. game — a match
  18. kid — to tease
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. file — a document
  21. drill — a practice
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. jam — in traffic
  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