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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wound — an injury
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. last — to go on
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — happy
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. hand — help
  10. bore — to tire
  11. key — in music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wound — an injury
  16. content — the amount
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mark — a trace
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. dip — to dunk

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