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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: last · drill · key · net · land · deal · chair · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. land — to come down
  3. net — in sport
  4. last — to go on
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. key — in music
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — the most important part
  12. land — ground
  13. last — finally
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fine — high quality
  16. deal — to handle
  17. land — a country
  18. last — final
  19. net — for catching
  20. key — for a lock
  21. drill — army training
  22. fine — all right
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. net — after costs

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