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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cue — for pool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. club — a group
  7. key — the most important part
  8. clip — to cut
  9. drill — army training
  10. clip — a video
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. clip — for paper
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bore — to tire
  21. key — in music
  22. club — for golf
  23. saw — the tool
  24. club — for dancing

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