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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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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bound — certain
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rest — a break
  10. key — in music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. kid — child
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. kid — to tease
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. key — for a lock
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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