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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. key — in music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. field — farmland
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. key — the most important part
  8. tube — a container
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bore — to drill
  11. swing — music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. can — a tin
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. tube — the underground
  24. shower — to wash

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