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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mine — for digging
  9. key — in music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — the most important part
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. deal — to handle
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. key — for a lock
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bat — the animal

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