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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. key — the most important part
  3. track — a path
  4. bass — the fish
  5. track — a song
  6. key — for a lock
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. key — in music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stem — to come from
  18. craft — boats
  19. bass — low music
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mark — a trace
  22. craft — a skill
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cold — an illness

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