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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. face — to confront
  3. land — ground
  4. pop — soda
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bass — low music
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pop — music
  22. drill — a practice
  23. key — in music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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