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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bore — to tire
  5. object — to protest
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spell — letters
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. spell — magic
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bore — to drill
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spell — a short time

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