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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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 — the tool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. suit — to fit
  4. shower — rain
  5. capital — money
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mate — to breed
  8. key — the most important part
  9. suit — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — a partner
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. drill — army training
  15. saw — the tool
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. suit — clothes
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. key — in music
  21. shower — to wash
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. key — for a lock
  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