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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bass — low music
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. kid — to tease
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. key — in music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. drill — a practice
  11. key — the most important part
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stem — to come from
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kid — child
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. drill — army training
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cue — a signal

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