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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: safe · court · key · dip · last · wind · fine · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. key — in music
  7. court — of law
  8. dip — to sink
  9. key — for a lock
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. key — the most important part
  12. drill — a practice
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. last — final
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fine — all right
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wind — to turn a key

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