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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bore — to drill
  4. last — final
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. key — the most important part
  10. last — to go on
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. spell — magic
  16. key — in music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. last — finally
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. spring — of water
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. spell — letters
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. sharp — clever

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