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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. drill — the tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. march — music
  5. net — in sport
  6. drill — army training
  7. pop — music
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. march — the month
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. craft — a skill
  15. drill — a practice
  16. craft — boats
  17. mug — a face
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mug — a cup
  21. march — the month
  22. net — for catching
  23. pop — soda
  24. key — the most important part

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