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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. saw — the tool
  3. court — of law
  4. key — in music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. root — of a plant
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. key — the most important part
  9. court — for sport
  10. root — the cause
  11. track — a path
  12. bore — to drill
  13. track — a song
  14. court — of a king
  15. track — to keep track
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bore — to tire
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. root — of a word
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. hand — help
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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