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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. craft — boats
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. roll — a cake
  7. craft — a skill
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. drill — the tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. press — a publisher
  12. key — for a lock
  13. drill — a practice
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. roll — a list
  16. band — a ring
  17. press — newspapers
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. press — to push
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. band — a music group
  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