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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 · fine · mate · key · face · wake · band · fan

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. key — in music
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fine — high quality
  11. band — a ring
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. drill — army training
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. face — to confront
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wake — a trail
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. face — part of the head

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