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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. key — for a lock
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. key — in music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. clip — to cut
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. key — the most important part
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. drill — the tool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. club — a group
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — for paper
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. game — a match
  22. clip — a video
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. drill — a practice

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