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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. key — the most important part
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bore — to drill
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. drill — the tool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. key — for a lock
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bore — to tire
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bat — the animal
  20. key — in music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. drill — a practice
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. jam — a tight spot

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