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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. drill — army training
  2. present — a gift
  3. race — the arms race
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. race — a contest
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. content — happy
  12. race — humankind
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mug — a cup
  19. present — the time now
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. present — there
  23. content — the amount
  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