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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. spell — letters
  4. bore — to tire
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kid — to tease
  8. key — for a lock
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. race — humankind
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — in music
  14. race — a contest
  15. spell — magic
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kid — child
  18. bore — to drill
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spell — a short time
  24. key — the most important part

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