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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. key — the most important part
  4. shower — rain
  5. can — a tin
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. key — for a lock
  11. can — to be able to
  12. drill — a practice
  13. can — a tin
  14. drill — army training
  15. key — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — high quality
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fine — all right
  24. wake — a trail

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