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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. firm — decided
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. drill — army training
  8. firm — a company
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. current — electric
  11. key — the most important part
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. drill — the tool
  14. current — of water
  15. drill — a practice
  16. game — a match
  17. current — happening now
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. key — in music
  20. mark — a trace
  21. firm — steady
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mark — a grade
  24. game — wild animals

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