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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. track — a song
  3. court — for sport
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. track — to keep track
  7. drill — army training
  8. mark — a grade
  9. drill — the tool
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. key — in music
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. track — a path
  18. bore — to drill
  19. tube — a container
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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