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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kick — in football
  12. game — a match
  13. row — a line
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. key — in music
  16. bore — to tire
  17. key — the most important part
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bore — to drill
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bore — gave birth

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