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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. key — the most important part
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bore — to tire
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chair — a leader
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. key — in music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. drill — army training
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — shares
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a ring
  24. drill — the tool

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