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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: key · safe · drill · swing · mark · tube · season · wind

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. drill — a practice
  6. tube — a container
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. swing — to play on
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. mark — a grade
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tube — the underground
  20. swing — in golf
  21. season — in sport
  22. swing — music
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. tube — in a tire

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