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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. file — a tool
  8. track — a path
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. file — a document
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. key — the most important part
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bat — the animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — in music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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