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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bore — to tire
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. present — a gift
  6. cold — an illness
  7. key — the most important part
  8. present — there
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. key — in music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rush — hurry
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. swing — music
  18. bore — to drill
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. present — the time now
  24. cold — the Cold War

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