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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bank — of a river
  5. drill — the tool
  6. key — in music
  7. court — of law
  8. last — finally
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — for catching
  11. last — to go on
  12. key — for a lock
  13. court — of a king
  14. bound — obliged
  15. drill — army training
  16. bank — for money
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bound — certain
  19. last — final
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. net — after costs
  22. court — for sport
  23. net — in sport
  24. bank — for money

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