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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. present — the time now
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. present — a gift
  6. spring — a coil
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. present — there
  18. key — for a lock
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — army training
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spring — of water

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