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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 116 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. mine — for digging
  5. drill — army training
  6. object — an aim
  7. suit — clothes
  8. last — to go on
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. root — of a plant
  12. suit — in cards
  13. key — in music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. object — a thing
  16. root — the cause
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. root — of a word
  20. perch — the fish
  21. suit — to fit
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. object — to protest

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