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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. key — in music
  8. root — of a plant
  9. kid — child
  10. current — of water
  11. kid — to tease
  12. root — of a word
  13. key — for a lock
  14. drill — army training
  15. fine — all right
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. root — the cause
  22. pass — a permit
  23. fine — high quality
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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