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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — a match
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. key — the most important part
  6. drill — army training
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bound — obliged
  11. key — in music
  12. drill — a practice
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bound — certain
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. race — humankind
  17. key — for a lock
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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