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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.

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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. charge — a price
  3. key — for a lock
  4. prune — to trim
  5. key — the most important part
  6. land — to come down
  7. lean — to bend
  8. land — ground
  9. key — in music
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lean — thin
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. land — a country
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. drill — the tool
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — electricity
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. drill — a practice

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