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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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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 · land · key · stick · bank · game · pass · cold

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bank — for money
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. land — ground
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. key — in music
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. game — a match
  19. land — to come down
  20. cold — an illness
  21. game — wild animals
  22. land — a country
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pass — to spend 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