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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 · pop · fine · rash · ball · key · bark · perch

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pop — music
  12. ball — a dance
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rash — hasty
  16. key — in music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. drill — army training
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. perch — for a bird

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