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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — final
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. drill — army training
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. last — to go on
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. last — finally
  12. key — the most important part
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — for sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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