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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. march — the month
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. drill — army training
  5. spring — the season
  6. chest — a box
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chest — of your body
  9. march — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lean — thin
  12. season — of the year
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — in sport
  17. spring — of water
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. march — the month
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. key — in music
  22. lean — to bend
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. lean — to rest against

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