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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rest — a break
  10. file — a tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. cue — a signal
  14. march — the month
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. drill — army training
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. drill — a practice
  24. file — a document

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