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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. row — a line
  11. fall — to drop
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fall — to drop

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