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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. track — a path
  8. ground — a position
  9. fine — all right
  10. bass — low music
  11. ground — crushed
  12. track — to keep track
  13. shower — to wash
  14. drill — a practice
  15. track — a song
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. shower — rain
  18. key — in music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fine — high quality
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bass — the fish
  24. fine — a penalty

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