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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. fine — all right
  2. current — electric
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. last — to go on
  6. current — of water
  7. vault — a safe
  8. last — final
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. fine — high quality
  13. last — finally
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. drill — army training
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. current — happening now
  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