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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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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. court — for sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. bore — to tire
  5. court — of law
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. kid — child
  10. ground — a position
  11. key — in music
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. court — of a king
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bank — of a river
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bore — to drill
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bank — for money
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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