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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. key — the most important part
  4. march — the month
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bore — to drill
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chip — for betting
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chip — to eat
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. key — in music
  18. mine — for digging
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. plane — a tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. chip — in a computer

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