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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: foot · drill · key · roll · tear · current · fork · stick

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. key — for a lock
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. current — electric
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. current — of water
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. foot — a measure
  13. current — happening now
  14. tear — to rip
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. drill — army training
  17. key — in music
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fork — in a road
  24. roll — a cake

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