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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. key — for a lock
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rock — music
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bore — to tire
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. bore — to drill
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rash — a series
  18. rock — a stone
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. kid — child

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