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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. craft — a skill
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fall — to drop
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. key — for a lock
  14. shower — rain
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. key — in music
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fall — the season
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. track — a path
  23. craft — boats
  24. shower — to wash

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