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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. drill — army training
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fine — all right
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bore — to drill
  9. key — in music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bulb — for light
  24. clip — for paper

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