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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. club — for dancing
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cue — a signal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. club — a group
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cue — for pool
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pound — a weight
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. drill — army training
  21. club — for golf
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. race — a contest

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