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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. object — an aim
  7. march — the month
  8. cue — for pool
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. object — to protest
  16. key — in music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pound — a weight
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. saw — the tool
  22. object — a thing
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. drill — army training

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