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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ground — crushed
  4. drill — army training
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ground — a position
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. content — the amount
  12. tear — to rip
  13. drill — the tool
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. content — happy
  17. cue — a signal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cue — for pool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ground — the earth
  22. key — for a lock
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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