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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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Word bank
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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: drill · spell · track · dip · row · key · fan · date

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. drill — a practice
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. date — the fruit
  8. drill — the tool
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spell — letters
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spell — magic
  13. row — a line
  14. drill — army training
  15. row — to paddle
  16. track — a path
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. track — a song
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. spell — a short time

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