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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. scale — size or range
  3. drill — army training
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. key — the most important part
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. drill — a practice
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. snap — to click
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. key — for a lock
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. key — in music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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