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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. key — in music
  3. spring — of water
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. file — a line of people
  6. drill — a practice
  7. root — of a word
  8. rock — a stone
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rock — music
  14. mug — a face
  15. root — of a plant
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mug — to rob
  18. drill — army training
  19. root — the cause
  20. spring — the season
  21. key — for a lock
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. rock — to move gently

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