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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: pass · shower · drill · key · vault · hand · date · pop

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. key — the most important part
  3. drill — a practice
  4. shower — to wash
  5. hand — help
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — a safe
  8. date — the fruit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. key — in music
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. drill — the tool
  16. key — for a lock
  17. drill — army training
  18. pop — to visit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. shower — rain
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hand — part of the body

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