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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. drill — the tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — the most important part
  7. last — finally
  8. season — of the year
  9. key — for a lock
  10. game — wild animals
  11. season — in sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bank — for money
  19. drill — army training
  20. last — to go on
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. game — a match
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. key — in music

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