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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. key — for a lock
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mate — a friend
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mate — a partner
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chair — a leader
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bore — to tire
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. plane — a tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. key — in music
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bore — to drill

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