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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. key — in music
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bore — to drill
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kid — child
  15. chip — to eat
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bore — to tire
  18. kid — to tease
  19. band — a music group
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. scale — in music
  24. object — a thing

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