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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 · squash · fork · current · mark · drill · hand · band

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. squash — to crush
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mark — a trace
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. key — in music
  18. band — a ring
  19. current — happening now
  20. drill — army training
  21. band — a music group
  22. key — for a lock
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fork — to eat with

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