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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lean — to bend
  4. drill — army training
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. rest — what's left
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rock — a stone
  10. last — finally
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wind — moving air
  14. key — in music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. drill — a practice
  18. scale — in music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rest — a break

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