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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. key — for a lock
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. key — in music
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. press — to push
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cold — an illness
  24. key — the most important part

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