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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. drill — the tool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — a short time
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. can — a tin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — child
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. can — a tin
  17. fine — high quality
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. spell — magic
  22. drill — army training
  23. fine — all right
  24. drill — a practice

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