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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. key — the most important part
  3. content — happy
  4. bound — obliged
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. cell — in biology
  7. drill — a practice
  8. content — the amount
  9. tube — a container
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bound — tied together
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — the underground
  15. key — for a lock
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. key — in music
  19. bound — certain
  20. drill — army training
  21. cell — a phone
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cell — in a prison

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