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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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. temple — a place of worship
  4. ground — crushed
  5. drill — the tool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spell — letters
  8. game — a match
  9. pit — in a race
  10. ground — the earth
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bore — to drill
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pit — a hole
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bore — to tire
  19. drill — army training
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. ground — a position
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spell — magic

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