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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · drill · key · march · ground · mine · safe · deal

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — a position
  6. drill — the tool
  7. key — the most important part
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. chest — a box
  10. mine — for digging
  11. drill — army training
  12. key — in music
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ground — the earth
  15. march — music
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chest — of your body
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ground — crushed
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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