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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mark — a trace
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rest — a break
  6. bear — the animal
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. net — for catching
  10. key — in music
  11. net — in sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mark — a grade
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. root — the cause
  17. net — after costs
  18. drill — a practice
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. root — of a word
  23. rest — what's left
  24. drill — army training

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